FAQ

Please see our Fees page for more information - but as a private service, a fee applies to consultations and testing.

See our Contact Us page for details - we are now in Suite 411, Level 4, Vitality Village, 5 Discovery Court, Birtinya 4575. This is only a couple of blocks from our previous location, and easy to find on Kawana Way next to the Stockland Shopping Centre.

Beach Brain is the shared vision of Dr Antony Winkel and Dr Tony Tampiyappa, to provide the Sunshine Coast with an outstanding all-in-one private Neuroscience centre to complement our extensive Public Hospital work.

A Geriatrician is an expert in normal and abnormal ageing, with a particular focus on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions common in those aged over 65 years (but also younger people affected by those same conditions). Common conditions managed by a Geriatrician include memory loss, dementia, falls, frailty, problems with multiple medications and acute illness in later life.

A Neurologist is a specialist in the function and diseases of the nervous system – the complex network of nerves, muscles and other structures that allow your brain to think, your nerves to feel, and your muscles to contract. Common conditions managed by a Neurologist include seizures, multiple sclerosis, numbness, weakness, headaches, dizziness and other related problems.

A Rehabilitation Physician is a specialist trained in the diagnosis, assessment and management of a disability associated with illness or injury. This can either be temporary or permanent, and typically involves multidisciplinary assessment and treatment plans, with regular 'case conferences' with other involved practitioners, such as Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Occupational Therapy and other Allied Health. For more complex disabilities, inpatient rehabilitation and/or NDIS assessment may be required. Common conditions managed by a Rehabilitation Physician include work injuries, head injuries, post-stroke or head injury spasticity, cerebral palsy (and other complex disabilities), spinal cord injuries and other disorders of musculoskeletal function.

Outpatient services do not attract funding from private health funds, although Medicare does provide some reimbursement. Unfortunately, increases in the Medicare rebate have not kept pace with inflation over the last few decades, so there is often a difference between what Medicare will currently pay and the raw costs of providing a good, thorough service. This results in a ‘gap’ payment (see this graph). This will vary slightly between physicians (and between practices). You may enquire as to the expected costs of your appointment at the time of booking, and payment on the day is required with either cash, EFTPOS or credit card.

The total fee on the day must include all Medicare items associated with your visit, and so this can sometimes seem quite large - but our staff will electronically claim the rebate on your behalf at the time of payment, and this is generally refunded very quickly directly to you by Medicare (often on the same day!), so your only out of pocket cost is the gap payment.

Although your GP may have recommended a particular specialist for you to see, a strength of our practice’s ability to keep wait times to a minimum is the ability to ‘share the load’ between our doctors. Many of our doctors have overlapping interests and skills, and for your particular problem any of a few of our doctors could be very reasonable first choices to see. You may be given the option to see an alternate doctor to access an earlier appointment, but the decision about who you see is always yours and you will always be given the option to continue to wait for your desired specialist (including an estimate of wait times).