Porter Rheumatology Ltd
Dr David Porter
Rheumatologist
105 Trafalgar St
Nelson 7010
Ph: 03 545 8688
Fax: 03 9280259
Costs
Prices of appointments are as follows:
First patient appointment (new patients): $440 including GST - 50 minutes allocated.
Consultant follow-up appointments: $220 including GST - 20 minutes allocated.
Nurse-led follow-up appointments: $165 including GST -20 minutes allocated
Be aware that potential additional costs may arise as part of the management of your condition.
Blood tests do not have any extra cost associated.
Sometimes additional investigations are required. They are not routinely done, but may be necessary to clarify diagnosis, to rule out other conditions, or for monitoring purposes (eg X-rays of the hands and feet every 2-3 years in rheumatoid arthritis). Sometimes a chest x-ray is needed before commencing certain medications.
These will incur additional costs from the relevant providers. The costs are usually covered by the insurance company for patients with medical insurance.
Most often when additional investigations are required, this will involve radiological investigations (X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans or MRI scans). These are done at Nelson Radiology.
Examples of radiology test costs include:
X-ray of hands and feet - $300
Chest X-ray - $170
Lumbar spine X-ray - $180
Sacroiliac joint X-ray - $180
CT scan of chest - $800
MRI lumbar spine - $1900
MRI sacroiliac joints - $1800
MRI cervical spine - $1900
Less commonly cardiology or respiratory investigations may be needed. These may include ECG's, echocardiograms or lung function tests.