Pathology

Cabrini Pathology was the first pathology service established in a Victorian private hospital in 1958. Our laboratory now employs over 100 staff, either working within the laboratory or as part of the collection service.

Our primary focus is the provision of a quality diagnostic service to Cabrini inpatients and onsite consultants, with the laboratory providing expertise in Biochemistry, Blood Bank Serology, Cytology, Haematology, Histology, Immunology, Microbiology and Serology.

For over 30 years the pathology service has been successfully operated in partnership with Melbourne Pathology and makes a significant financial contribution to the revenue of Cabrini Health which is then reinvested in patient services and facilities.

Cabrini Pathology’s laboratory service includes:

• Onsite routine and emergency diagnostic testing for inpatients and outpatients
• All areas of pathology testing
• Rapid turnaround time for most routine pathology results
• Direct clinical consultations available for interpretation and advice on results

General services include:

• Pathology services to all Cabrini campuses
• Results available in a range of formats including electronic download and fax
• Home visiting service for specimen collection
• Preoperative testing up to 28 days prior to surgery

Most tests have no special requirements, however a small number of tests need an appointment or special instructions to be followed.

Tips on preparing your child for a blood test - download

Certain tests require that you stay at the collection centre for a longer period.

• Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) – 2 hours
• Glucose Challenge Test (GCT) – 1 hour

For most tests, no appointment is required, however some tests require an appointment prior to attendance.

• Holter Monitor
• Blood Pressure Monitor
• Synacthen Test

For further information please contact us on (03) 9508 1434.

Tests that require fasting

The following tests require a patient to have fasted prior to collection of the sample:

• Lipid testing including cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL/LDL
• Glucose and GTT
• Growth hormone
• Fasting Insulin

Fasting instructions

To ensure reliable and accurate test results, it is important that you follow these instructions carefully if you are having a fasting test.

• Nothing to eat or drink (other than water) for at least 8-12 hours.
• Plain water consumption is acceptable and encouraged to ensure good hydration.
• Tea, coffee and soft drinks must not be consumed during the fasting period.
• Smoking should be avoided.
• If you have fasted for longer than 15 hours, we may need to consider rescheduling your test as prolonged fasting can affect some results.
• If you are a diabetic or taking medication for any other condition, please consult your doctor before fasting.

Additional patient information

Designed for the Australian healthcare consumer for reliable and up to date information on pathology tests, refer to the website Lab Tests on LineAU.

http://www.labtestsonline.org.au/

Inpatients

Private patients with an agreed health fund will have no out-of-pocket expenses for most Pathology services and accounts will be billed directly to the health fund.

Agreed Health Fund partners are:

Private patients with Non-Agreement Health Funds will receive an account to enable a claim from Medicare and their health funds. The out-of-pocket cost for private patients will be capped at $400 per admission for Medicare rebatable items.

The out-of-pocket cost for private patients with Pension or Concession Cards will be capped at $200 per admission for Pathology rebatable items.

There will be no out-of-pocket cost for current Cabrini Chemocard holders for Medicare rebatable items. 

Third Party Claims such as WorkCover and TAC will be billed to the relevant authority. However, should the claim be rejected it is the patient’s responsibility to settle all outstanding accounts. An account will be sent to the patient for payment.

Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) gold cardholders will be covered for most services. White cardholders authorisation is required to ensure that the service is related to specific entitlements.

Non-insured patients will be responsible for all out-of-pocket costs between the Medicare rebate and the private patient fee.

There may be additional costs if any of the tests are performed by other laboratories at the doctor’s request or if there are any specialist tests that are not covered by Medicare or if you do not hold a valid Medicare Card.

Outpatients

Pensioners, concession cardholders, Cabrini chemotherapy cardholders and Cabrini pre-admission patients will be bulk billed for the majority of Pathology Services.

Patients who are not eligible to be bulk billed will receive an account from Cabrini Pathology and will be responsible for the out-of-pocket (OOP) cost between the Medicare rebate and the fee charged. The maximum OOP cost is currently $110 per episode for rebatable items.

There may be additional costs if any of the tests are performed by other laboratories at the doctor’s request or if there are any specialist tests that are not covered by Medicare or if you do not hold a valid Medicare Card.

Overseas Students who have health cover with Medibank Private or OSHC Worldcare may have their insurance provider billed directly.

Overseas travellers without Medicare cover are required to pay upfront at the time of sample collection.

Non-rebatable Items: As Medicare does not cover some Pathology tests, patients will be liable for the full cost of these tests.

Third Party Claims such as Work Cover and TAC will be billed to the relevant authority. However, should the claim be rejected, it is the patient’s responsibility to settle all outstanding accounts. An account will be sent to the patient for payment.

Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) gold cardholders will be covered for most services. For white cardholders, authorisation is required to ensure that Medical Imaging is related to specific entitlements.

Overseas Insurance is not accepted at Cabrini Health for outpatient services. As such, it is the patient’s responsibility to settle all outstanding accounts. An account and receipt will be provided.