Fees: paediatric care during your hospital stay
For a well newborn rooming in on the postnatal ward at Frances Perry House: what’s billed, what Medicare rebates, and why private funds usually don’t cover this.
Last reviewed
Typical out-of-pocket: last financial year, the typical family’s total out-of-pocket for the whole stay was about $580, or about $125 for families past the Medicare Safety Net. For the Safety Net to apply to your baby’s bill, your baby must be enrolled in Medicare and included in your Medicare Safety Net family, and your family needs to confirm its Safety Net details with Medicare. How to confirm your Medicare Safety Net family (Services Australia). To go through likely costs before the birth, contact the rooms.
Important: classified as outpatient by your fund
A well baby on the postnatal ward is technically classified as an outpatient of the hospital by Medicare and private health funds, even though you’re physically in hospital. Two practical consequences:
- Medicare pays the standard rebate on every eligible item.
- The Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN) applies: once you cross the calendar-year threshold, Medicare covers a larger share.
- Private health funds don’t cover these fees, because funds only pay for hospital inpatient services. (If your baby is admitted to the Special Care Nursery, that classification changes: see SCN billing.)
Initial paediatric attendance
The first paediatric visit to see your baby after birth. All billed under MBS Item 110; the fee varies by timing and complexity of the attendance.
| Scenario | Billed | MBS item | Gap after Medicare | Gap with Safety Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elective review (in hours) | $550 | Item 110 | $394 | $79 |
| In-hours elective C-section or weekend elective review | $650 | Item 110 | $494 | $99 |
| Emergency C-section in hours / weekend elective C-section | $800 | Item 110 | $644 | $144 |
| After-hours or weekend attendance | $1,000 | Item 110 | $844 | $344 |
| Overnight attendance (10pm–8am) | $1,400 | Item 110 | $1,244 | $744 |
After-hours and emergency attendances cost more because the paediatrician is called in specifically to attend. The Medicare rebate for Item 110 is currently $155.85.
Subsequent ward consultations
After the first attendance, the paediatrician reviews your baby most days on the postnatal ward (every day in Special Care), monitoring feeding, weight, jaundice and any concerns.
| Review type | Billed | MBS item | Medicare rebate | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) | $275 | Item 116 | $77.95 | $197 |
| Routine daily review — standard | $95 | Item 116 | $77.95 | $17 |
| Routine daily review — brief | $55 | Item 119 | $44.45 | $11 |
The full item 116 gap typically applies to no more than two attendances in a stay (usually the first substantive review and the discharge check), though additional substantive reviews are billed when clinically needed, for example assessing an overnight deterioration. Other routine reviews are billed close to the Medicare schedule fee, leaving a small gap: $17 for item 116 and $11 for a brief item 119 review.
If a covering paediatrician sees your baby in Dr Jubal’s absence, it stays on the one practice invoice: that attendance is annotated with the covering paediatrician’s provider number, billed on their behalf.
Typical day-by-day scenarios
Each interaction is billed separately, so the total reflects the care provided. The common postnatal-ward patterns are below; the first-day code varies by timing. If your baby is admitted to Special Care, see SCN billing.
Single ward review
Some short stays involve just one paediatric attendance: a single newborn examination that also serves as the discharge check, done during the stay, by the day before going home.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 Elective review (in hours) · newborn examination | $550 | $155.85 | $394 | $79 |
| Total | $550 | $155.85 | $394 | $79 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
Elective vaginal birth: paediatric review
Routine vaginal delivery in hours; paediatrician reviews on day 1, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 Elective review (in hours) · newborn examination | $550 | $155.85 | $394 | $79 |
| D2 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $935 | $322.70 | $612 | $122 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
Weekend vaginal birth: paediatric review
Vaginal delivery on a weekend; paediatrician reviews on day 1, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 In-hours elective C-section or weekend elective review · newborn examination (weekend) | $650 | $155.85 | $494 | $99 |
| D2 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $1,035 | $322.70 | $712 | $142 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
Elective C-section (in hours)
In-hours elective caesarean; paediatrician attends the delivery on day 1, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 In-hours elective C-section or weekend elective review · delivery + newborn exam | $650 | $155.85 | $494 | $99 |
| D2 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · substantive ward review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $1,255 | $356.20 | $899 | $179 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
Emergency C-section (in hours) or weekend elective C-section
Emergency caesarean in business hours, or a weekend elective caesarean; paediatrician attends the delivery, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 Emergency C-section in hours / weekend elective C-section · delivery + newborn exam | $800 | $155.85 | $644 | $144 |
| D2 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · substantive ward review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $1,405 | $356.20 | $1,049 | $224 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
After-hours C-section (not overnight)
Caesarean called outside business hours but before 10 pm; paediatrician attends the delivery, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 After-hours or weekend attendance · after-hours delivery + newborn exam | $1,000 | $155.85 | $844 | $344 |
| D2 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · substantive ward review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $1,605 | $356.20 | $1,249 | $424 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
Overnight C-section
Caesarean called between 10 pm and 8 am; paediatrician attends overnight on day 1, then daily until discharge.
| Day | MBS item | Billed | Rebate | Gap | EMSN gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Item 110 Overnight attendance (10pm–8am) · overnight delivery + newborn exam | $1,400 | $155.85 | $1,244 | $744 |
| D2 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · substantive ward review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| D3 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D4 | Item 119 Routine daily review — brief | $55 | $44.45 | $11 | $2 |
| D5 | Item 116 Subsequent review — substantive (ward review, or the discharge check where noted) · discharge review | $275 | $77.95 | $197 | $39 |
| Total | $2,060 | $400.65 | $1,659 | $826 | |
Indicative figures only. Practitioner fees from the newborn registration form; Medicare rebates from the current MBS schedule; EMSN figures reflect the Safety Net benefit once the calendar-year threshold is met. Actual figures may differ; see the billing disclaimer.
The Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN)
Once your family’s out-of-pocket costs cross the EMSN threshold for the calendar year ($2,699.10 general / $861.20 concessional in 2026), Medicare pays back, on each subsequent eligible item, the lower of 80% of the gap or the per-item EMSN cap (300% of the schedule fee, max $500). For large-fee items like Item 110 the $500 cap is what binds, and that’s the figure the “Gap with Safety Net” column above uses.
Pregnancy care and obstetric fees usually contribute toward the threshold; many mothers reach it by the time of birth. Worth checking your Medicare account.
Related
- Special Care Nursery (SCN) billing: if your baby is admitted to SCN, fund cover changes.
- Outpatient clinic fees: antenatal, post-discharge, telehealth.
- Paying your invoice: the practical step-by-step.
- Fees overview: clinical context and the “why”.