Costs explained
Fees & billing
What paediatric care costs, what Medicare covers, and which page applies to you.
Last reviewed
What families actually pay
Here is what the fee tables added up to in practice, measured across our own billing records. Last financial year, the typical family’s total out-of-pocket for their baby’s whole hospital stay was about $580 — and for families past the Medicare Safety Net, about $125. Pregnancy and obstetric fees often carry you past the threshold before your baby arrives — worth a quick look at your Medicare account.
Longer Special Care admissions are usually billed through your health fund, which limits the family’s cost. Out-of-pocket totals above $1500 are rare — last financial year, fewer than one family in a hundred — and belong to the uncommon after-hours and overnight patterns in the table below, before the Safety Net column applies. If fees are on your mind, contact the rooms before the birth and we’ll talk through your likely scenario.
What the fee provides: 24-hour specialist cover
The first days are a transition, and the fee funds 24-hour paediatric cover for your baby’s whole stay — a planned review most days, and the ward can contact the on-call paediatrician urgently, at any hour, when clinically needed.
The service is medical at its core: managing whatever arises as your baby adapts — breathing, feeding, blood sugar, weight loss and jaundice, infection, or any of the many other issues a newborn can present with — with advice on preventive care. Some things only show themselves after you go home, which is why follow-up continues with the MCH visits and the six-week review.
Wider clinical context, with risk figures by gestation: Understanding the risks.
Typical patterns by birth timing
Most stays follow the same shape — an initial newborn attendance, one or two brief reviews, then a discharge check. The timing of the first attendance drives the total (billed totals $550 – $2,100 across the scenarios below, before Medicare). See in-hospital fees for line-item detail.
| Scenario | Days | Total billed | Gap after Medicare | Gap with Safety Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Single ward review 110 | 1 | $550 | $394 | $79 |
Elective vaginal birth — paediatric review 110 → 119 → 119 → 116 | 4 | $935 | $612 | $122 |
Weekend vaginal birth — paediatric review 110 → 119 → 119 → 116 | 4 | $1,035 | $712 | $142 |
Elective C-section (in hours) 110 → 116 → 119 → 116 | 4 | $1,255 | $899 | $179 |
Emergency C-section (in hours) or weekend elective C-section 110 → 116 → 119 → 116 | 4 | $1,405 | $1,049 | $224 |
After-hours C-section (not overnight) 110 → 116 → 119 → 116 | 4 | $1,605 | $1,249 | $424 |
Overnight C-section 110 → 116 → 119 → 119 → 116 | 5 | $2,060 | $1,659 | $826 |
Indicative figures only — the final invoice reflects the care provided. SCN admissions follow a different billing arrangement (see SCN billing).
Which page applies to you
Billing differs by where care happens:
In hospital
While your baby is on the postnatal ward at Frances Perry House
Initial paediatric attendance + ward reviews + discharge check. Medicare rebates every eligible item; private health funds don't cover well-baby ward fees (outpatient classification).
Outpatient clinic & telehealth
Antenatal, post-discharge follow-up, telehealth, procedures
Consulting rooms at Suite 9, Level 2 (or via phone / video). 85% Medicare rebate, EMSN safety net applies.
Special Care Nursery
If your baby is admitted to SCN
For longer admissions (typically beyond a week), billing usually moves to your health fund with a capped known-gap. Shorter Special Care stays are billed like the rest of the hospital stay.
Before we meet
Referral: a GP or obstetrician referral is required for the Medicare rebate (GP referrals are valid for 12 months, obstetrician/specialist referrals for 3 months). For in-hospital newborn care at Frances Perry House, your obstetrician’s request is the referral — it’s arranged for you and covers the first 3 months.
Registration: complete the newborn registration form before or shortly after birth. The form captures your clinical background and the current fee schedule in full.
On the day: bring your Medicare card and, if you have private health cover, your membership details.
Administrative requests
Letters, repeat scripts, referrals and form completion requested outside a consultation attract a flat $50 fee — not Medicare-rebatable or claimable from your health fund.
No charge when the request is part of an appointment, or made within 7 days of a consultation.
Ongoing referrals to other specialists should ideally come from your GP.
Requests are made through the rooms — call (03) 9007 2099 or email admin@neopaeds.au.
Common questions about fees
Can I get a written quote before I commit?
Yes. Our rooms can put together an estimate based on your expected delivery, anticipated length of stay, and whether Special Care admission is likely. Call (03) 9007 2099 or email admin@neopaeds.au.
What if my baby goes to Special Care — will my health fund cover the fees?
Yes, partially. Once baby is admitted to the Special Care Nursery, baby becomes a hospital inpatient and the health fund contributes. The full arrangement is covered on the SCN billing page.
What if we’re unable to pay the full amount?
Please contact our rooms as soon as you receive the invoice. Payment plans can usually be arranged for families who need them; the earlier we hear from you, the more options there are.
What happens if a different paediatrician sees my baby?
If Dr Jubal is unavailable, a practice colleague covers and visits your baby. It stays on the one practice invoice — that attendance is simply annotated with the covering paediatrician’s provider number (we bill on their behalf), under the same MBS items.