Fracture Clinic Frequently Asked Questions
What injuries can we see?
The STRIDE Orthopaedics fracture/soft tissue injury clinic is best suited to patients with simple soft tissue injuries and broken bones that are undisplaced (the ends of the broken bones are still aligned) that do not require surgery, but require monitoring and management to ensure they heal correctly. Examples include broken; collar bones, ankles, Humerus (upper arm bone) forearms, feet, toes and avulsion fractures or significant sprains. Your GP or NP will have determined that your injury is suitable to be seen by STRIDE Orthopaedics and one of our clinicians will have identified that you would benefit from being seen in this clinic when your referral was triaged as a way of getting you seen sooner.
How much does it cost?
This clinic is only partially funded by ACC. Therefore there is a part payment (surcharge) required. For children or Community Services Card holders, it is $25.00 and for adult non-Community Services Card holders it is $65.00.
There is also a surcharge payable for any X-rays or Ultrasound Scans that you may require as ACC does not fully fund the cost of these. This is determined by the Radiology provider. Currently, the surcharge at Pacific Radiology is $55.00 for an X-ray and $105.00 for an Ultrasound Scan and at Beyond Radiology is $20.00 for an X-ray and $40.00 for an Ultrasound scan.
What if I can't afford the cost?
If you are unable to afford the costs of the above surcharges, we can either on-refer you to the public Hospital to be seen in their fracture clinic. Or if appropriate/safe to wait, book you a traditional appointment which would be fully funded by ACC under their clinical services contact. Currently our wait times for simple soft tissue injuries is 3+ months for an appointment under ACC’s clinical services contract. We will check with you about whether you want to be seen faster and pay the surcharge or if you would prefer to wait/ be referred to the public hospital prior to booking your appointment. On-referral to the public hospital is not something that can be easily arranged on the day of your appointment. Therefore, if you think the surcharges may cause financial difficulty to you, please just let us know and we can on-refer you to Te Whatu Ora Canterbury/Waitaha or rebook you into our traditional clinic when we contact you about an appointment to ensure you don’t experience any delays in receiving the care you need.
How can I pay?
We have EFTPOS and Credit Card facilities available. Payment is required on the day, thank you.
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What can I expect at my appointment?
You will be seen by Amelia Howard-Hill, who is an experienced Nurse Practitioner who has been working in Orthopaedics for almost 15 years. She also performs similar clinics for other urgent care clinics in Christchurch. If you would like to learn more about Amelia click here. At your appointment, Amelia will ask you questions about your injury, and how you are managing, review any recent imaging and examine you. A plan for further management will be arranged including prescribing medications completing medical certificates or arranging further imaging or on-referrals (e.g. to a physiotherapist). Before your appointment we need you to complete a patient registration form which also includes questions about your injury and how it is affecting you.
What if my injury is not healing as expected?
Sometimes broken bones and soft tissue injuries do not heal as expected and occasionally broken bones can change position. If this occurs, you may need to be seen by an Orthopaedic Surgeon. If this is the case for you, Amelia will on-refer you to either the Orthopaedic Surgeon at STRIDE Orthopaedics, Dr Ramez Ailabouni, or if you need to be seen immediately, to the fracture clinic at Te Whatu Ora Canterbury.
What are the benefits?
You can be seen quickly and have expert care of your injury by an experienced health professional, without waiting for many hours in a fracture clinic/ or waiting many months to be seen by a medical specialist.
Where are you?
STRIDE Orthopaedics is located on the Eastern side of the Southern Cross site, on Level 2 of the Specialist @ 9 Building, 9 Caledonian Road Saint Albans. Should you have any difficulty finding us, please call, 03 968 3402.
Where do I get X-ray's?
The closest Radiology provider is Pacific Radiology, on the Western side of the Southern Cross Site, 129 Bealey Ave, St Albans Christchurch.