• A referral from your General Practitioner, family doctor or medical specialist.
• All recent x-rays or scans with reports and
• Blood test results from your primary care or referring physician
• A list of all medications that you are currently taking
• A list of any known drug allergies and the symptoms you may have from taking these medicines
• If you have had surgery elsewhere, please bring a copy of your operation report.
• Medicare and private medical insurance card

Yes. You will need a referral from you GP or another medical specialist. Most GP referrals are valid for 12 months. Most referrals from medical specialists are only valid for 3 months.  You may be asked to bring a new referral from your doctor if the current referral is out of date. A referral is required prior to seeing Dr. Collins to ensure that you will receive the appropriate rebate from Medicare. No Medicare rebate is available without a referral. Please note that the backdating of referrals is illegal and can result in heavy fines and prison sentences.

Before seeing any medical specialist, it is always preferable to talk to your own family doctor, who can discuss your condition with you and advise on whether any specialist care is appropriate. If it is, he or she can help you to choose the specialist best suited to your needs. Your family doctor can help the specialist to care for you better by providing relevant information about your health. Communicating with the specialist will also enable your family doctor to care for you better during and after your specialist treatment.

On your initial visit to Dr. Collins, he will study your file, take a complete medical history and perform a thorough examination. He will assess your blood tests and inspect your relevant X-rays. He will discuss with you your condition and organize any further diagnostic tests required. He will then recommend a treatment pathway that may involve medical therapy or an operation. If diagnostic test are required or a trial of medication is recommended he will organize appropriate follow-up with you in the future. Dr. Collins may need to involve other medical specialists in your care.