Plastic surgery referral

Patients who are being treated for the same condition at another Victorian public hospital

Children under 18 years of age

Aesthetic surgery other than those meeting the specific indications outlined in the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines for Aesthetic procedures and indications for surgery in Victorian public health services. In particular, the following procedures are not performed at Alfred Health:

Breast reduction or augmentation

Elective removal or reinsertion of breast implants following augmentation mammoplasty

Abdominoplasty

Liposuction

Breast reconstruction is offered only to Alfred Health patients who have undergone mastectomy for breast cancer, or have congenital abnormalities, or have had significant trauma

Gender reassignment surgery is not performed at Alfred Health Please note: ➢ Patients undergoing elective surgery at The Alfred should have been non-smokers for a minimum of 6 weeks prior to consideration of surgery ➢ Patients undergoing certain elective plastic surgery procedures at The Alfred should have a BMI less than 30. ➢ Skin cancers other than melanoma must be proven on biopsy/histology

Date of birth • Reason for referral

Patient’s contact details including mobile • Duration of symptoms phone number • Relevant pathology and imaging reports

Referring GP details • Past medical history

If an interpreter is required

Medicare number Some clinics offer an MBS-billed service. There is no out of pocket expense to the patient. MBS-billed services require a current referral to a named specialist – please provide your patient with a 12-month referral addressed to the specialist of your choice. Please note that your patient may be seen by another specialist in that clinic in order to expedite his or her treatment. Please note, the times to assessment may vary depending on size and staffing of the hospital department

Histologically confirmed melanoma

Suspected / confirmed metastatic disease

Histologically confirmed Merkel cell carcinoma

Nail lesions suspicious for melanoma

Complex non-melanoma skin malignancies and any of the following:

lymphadenopathy

neurological involvement

poorly differentiated or infiltrative tumour identified on biopsy

rapidly enlarging

ulceration and bleeding

Other subcutaneous and deep tissue malignancies e.g. Merkel cell carcinoma, sarcoma

Skin lesions with any of the following:

causing functional problems (e.g. obstruction of vision)

causing significant disfigurement

diagnosis in doubt, or needs confirmation

diameter greater than or equal to 5cm in size

Initial primary-care work-up complete (history, examination, baseline investigations per Alfred guideline)

Symptoms persist or progress despite primary-care management