Many of us experience joint pain, sprains, or strains at some point. If you’re considering visiting an orthopaedic surgeon in Singapore to have it evaluated, this article discusses some important considerations to keep in mind before making an appointment with a private orthopaedic clinic. We aim to help you feel better prepared for your visit.
Singapore is not a big country, so distance is usually not a significant issue when choosing an orthopaedic clinic. Most Singaporeans can easily travel to the clinic of their choice. For orthopaedic conditions, they may choose to visit their family doctor, a polyclinic, or sometimes opt for a specialist orthopaedic clinic in Singapore.
Advantages of Visiting a Specialist Orthopaedic Clinic Singapore
The advantages of visiting a specialist clinic include the following:
Shorter Waiting Times for Appointments
Private specialist clinics typically offer shorter waiting times compared to the public health system. This enables earlier care, investigations and treatments.
Fully Qualified Specialist Care
Doctors at the specialist clinic are usually trained specialist doctors with many years of experience. You’ll usually see the same specialist at each visit for continuity of patient care.
These clinics and their orthopaedic specialists can administer urgent care, such as wound management, fracture immobilisation and arranging hospital admission if necessary. Most specialist clinics are also conveniently located near private hospitals.
Shorter Waiting Time for Surgery
If orthopaedic surgery is needed, the waiting time is often shorter, as most specialist orthopaedic surgeons are accredited with multiple private hospitals and can liaise with them for an earlier surgical slot.
Disadvantage of Visiting a Specialist Orthopaedic Clinic Singapore
The disadvantage of visiting a private orthopaedic clinic in Singapore is that it may be more costly than a family doctor or a polyclinic visit. The investigations and treatments may also be more expensive. In addition, not all private clinics are Medisave accredited, and Medisave limits may not be sufficient to cover the cost of orthopaedic treatment at a private facility.
Factors to Consider When Making a Decision
To guide your decision-making, you should consider these factors.
Urgency of the Clinical Problem
If you have an acute and serious clinical problem, such as being unable to walk due to severe pain after having a fall or having an open wound with significant bleeding, you should seek immediate medical attention. In cases of serious clinical problems, such as injuries sustained in a road traffic accident, you may need to call an ambulance. Care is immediately necessary in these scenarios, and waiting for an appointment is not an option. However, if you are still able to move around and a caregiver can take you to a clinic, it’s best to walk in to see your family doctor, a specialist clinic, or the A&E to have it looked at immediately.
On the other hand, if the clinical problem is not urgent, such as low back pain or a slowly growing lump that requires evaluation, you can call your preferred clinic to book an appointment. You have the choice to seek evaluation through the public health system, visit your family doctor or a trusted orthopaedic clinic.
Insurance Coverage
Some patients have corporate health insurance that covers visits to private specialist clinics in Singapore. These patients typically possess corporate insurance cards detailing their coverage. Some of the TPAs that administer these corporate insurance plans include MHC, Alliance, DA, Fullerton, and iXchange.
When inquiring with a specialist clinic, be sure to inform them if you have such insurance, as clinic staff can usually check your coverage. Our clinic collaborates with a wide range of corporate health insurance TPAs.
Please click here to see if you have any of these corporate insurance.
Private hospitalisation insurance, such as NTUC IncomeShield and Prushield policies, typically does not cover outpatient visits. These policies are designed for inpatient hospital bills, day surgeries, or surgical expenses. However, if you are covered by these policies, it’s advisable to visit a panel doctor for evaluation. This way, if you require surgery or admission, you’ll already be under the care of your panel doctor. Below are some links to the respective hospitalisation shield policies where you can check for panel doctors:
- PRUPanel Connect (Prudential)
- Health Connect (Great Eastern)
- NTUC Incomeshield
- Singlife Shield
- HSBC Life Shield
- AIA Panel (extended panel benefits only)
Our clinic collaborates with all the panels mentioned above. We are part of the main panel for all these insurance plans, except for AIA. For AIA patients, we continue to provide care under extended panel benefits.
Your Preferred Doctor
You may already have a preferred orthopaedic doctor to visit. It’s important to make sure that the doctor you select has the necessary expertise and training in the specific area related to your clinical problem. For instance, if you have knee pain, you should consult a knee specialist in Singapore. Check their website and credentials to confirm their expertise, whether in trauma surgery for sports injuries, experience with paediatric patients, rehabilitative therapy, or other specialties. While recommendations from friends and family can be helpful, it’s still crucial for you to do your own research.
Here are some important questions to consider for your visit:
- Are you able to walk, or do you require a walking aid or wheelchair? If you are visiting in a wheelchair, please inform us so we can notify the hospital concierge at the lobby for assistance. Our staff can also help bring you to the clinic if needed.
- What is your preferred day and time for your clinic visit?
- Do you have an insurance card? If so, please let us know so we can check your coverage.
- Have you undergone any imaging for your clinical problem? If yes, please inform us where the imaging was done so we can trace the reports if necessary.
Knowing the above information will help us ensure that your visit to our clinic is smooth, and so that we can facilitate a proper evaluation of your clinical problem. You will be informed of the cost of the initial consultation. Once the appointment is booked, our clinic will typically send a confirmation including the date, time, location, and the name of the orthopaedic specialist you will be seeing. If you need to change the appointment, please feel free to inform the clinic.
At Hip & Knee Orthopaedics, we have two experienced orthopaedic doctors in Singapore who are double fellowship trained and can provide comprehensive medical care for your orthopaedic problems. We are Medisave accredited and work with many corporate health insurers, being part of the main panel for most hospitalisation shield plans. Our focus is on delivering patient-centred, evidence-based orthopaedic care for you and your family to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Find out more about our orthopaedic specialists and services here.
