Patients and families
Preparing for specialist care
Specialist assessment gives you time to consider your circumstances and advice to help you decide what comes next. Start with your GP or treating doctor, who can discuss whether a referral may help.
Patients must be in Australia. Telehealth is available only when Dr Hadinata agrees it is clinically appropriate.
Before you book
- Private fees and possible rebates. The fee for an initial appointment is quoted when it is booked. As a guide, a standard initial clinical appointment or a longer review appointment is A$660, and a standard review appointment is A$330. The private fee is payable in full, and a Medicare rebate may be available for an eligible consultation.
- Deposit, cancellation and affordability. The fees page covers the deposit, cancellation, insurance, rebates and options if private care is not affordable.
- Outpatient or inpatient care. Private health insurance is not required for an outpatient consultation. It is required for an inpatient admission; the hospital and insurer must check your cover.
- Driving or work assessments. These are quoted individually, and any certificate, report or licence recommendation depends on the assessment itself. Read the preparation FAQ and acknowledgment first.
What specialist assessment considers
An Addiction Medicine Specialist is a doctor with advanced training in the assessment and treatment of substance use, behavioural addictions and related health concerns. An assessment may consider substance use or addictive behaviours, physical and mental health, current medicines, safety, previous treatment, day-to-day circumstances and what matters to you.
You do not need to feel certain about change to seek support. Dr Hadinata asks you to share relevant information honestly and work through the options with him; you can ask questions or disagree at any stage. Your GP remains central to ongoing care, so please keep seeing a regular GP.
Supporting someone while looking after yourself
Family members and supporters are often the first to look for help. With the person's agreement, family can help arrange the referral and join part of the appointment. If the person is not ready, the family guide covers what you can do in the meantime and how to protect your own wellbeing.
You can seek support for yourself even if the person is unsure about treatment; your own GP can help. Caring for someone does not mean taking responsibility for their recovery or tolerating unsafe behaviour.
Read the family guideFrom referral to appointment
Talk with your doctor
Your GP or another treating doctor can consider whether specialist assessment may be useful and prepare the referral.
Send the referral
You or your doctor can use the online referral upload. Before uploading, check that the referral itself includes current contact details for both the patient and the referring practitioner. Your doctor can also email the referral and relevant documents to referral@dreric.net, or fax them to 03 8692 2781.
Wait for the practice to respond
Submitting information does not confirm acceptance or an appointment. Acceptance depends on clinical fit, the information available and practice capacity.
Does the one-week response target mean I will have an appointment within a week?
No. The practice aims to triage referrals and respond to appointment requests within one week. During busy periods, this may take a little longer. This is an initial response, not a promised appointment date. For a time-sensitive, non-emergency referral query, call reception on (03) 9526 0244 during reception hours.
Regional and interstate appointments
Can I have a video consultation if I live in regional Victoria?
Dr Hadinata's consulting rooms are on Level 4 of The Victoria Clinic in Prahran (see getting here). For people in Geelong and elsewhere in regional Victoria, telehealth by video is available when Dr Hadinata agrees it is clinically appropriate.
Can I have a consultation if I live interstate?
Interstate care is less suitable because legislation and requirements differ between states and territories. Dr Hadinata considers interstate requests case by case.
Preparing for an appointment
Bring an up-to-date list of medicines, relevant health information and the questions you want to discuss. Tell the practice beforehand if you need communication or accessibility support.
The free resource library includes a care-review agenda and a weekly recovery review to use before and between appointments, with your own treating team or independently.
Your privacy
The online referral upload opens a separate Microsoft page; this public website does not receive or store your referral or documents.
Keep names, identifying details and health records out of the optional practical sheets on this website. They are for brief, de-identified notes that stay in the open tab and are not sent to the practice.
Reception and urgent help
For appointments, clinical or administrative requests, call reception on (03) 9526 0244, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.