Infectious Disease Clinic at Flinders Medical Centre

FMC Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic offers public and private (Medicare bulk billed) services to patients who have been diagnosed with an infectious disease or are at risk of an infectious disease.

This includes:

  • Acute and non-acute infectious diseases
  • HIV
  • Hepatitis B and C without liver cirrhosis – patients with viral hepatitis and cirrhosis should be referred to the SALHN Liver/Hepatology Clinic
  • Extrapulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary infections by non-tuberculous mycobacteria
  • Follow-up of recent inpatients requiring intravenous antibiotics via Hospital in the Home (HITH)
  • Risk assessment and prevention of infections in travellers and immunocompromised hosts.

Named referral is required if your patient prefers to be seen in our private Medicare bulk billed private clinics. Gap fees are not charged to any patient seen in the infectious diseases clinics.

ID Consultants who bulk bill private patients to Medicare

Dr Santhosh Daniel — Tuesday 2pm to 4.30pm
Dr Catherine Malden — Wednesday 9am to 12pm
Dr Teddy Teo — Thursday 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Dr Nicholas Anagnostou — Friday 9am to 11.30am
Dr Stefan Lammerink — Friday 9am to 11.30am
Dr Kelly Papanaoum — Friday 10am to 11.30am

Referrals

Medical Emergency

Patients who require emergency/immediate assessment should be sent directly to the emergency department for further assessment rather than referring to an outpatient clinic.

Emergency conditions include (but are not limited to):

  • Returned traveller with fever
  • Newly diagnosed HIV requiring admission
  • Malaria
  • Meningitis
  • Other life-threatening conditions

Referral Process

Referral forms and processes are outlined in the outpatient referral process section. 

Referrals are screened and triaged to an urgent, semi-urgent or non-urgent appointment. The quality of information provided will influence the triage of the referral. If there is insufficient information, a request will be made for a new referral before an appointment is given.

Information required includes:

  • Detailed history
  • Past medical history and up-to-date medication list
  • Copies of results of investigations (e.g. imaging and laboratory testing)

Non-urgent referrals will be allocated to the next available appointment and may incur a wait. The waiting time for an appointment will vary and is dependent on the demand for this service and the medical urgency of the patient’s condition.

Should changes occur to a patient’s medical condition while waiting for an appointment, referrers should send updated clinical information (where, how?), and if appropriate contact the Infectious Diseases registrar via FMC switchboard 08 8204 5511 for urgent advice.

For HIV and viral hepatitis referrals, please ensure patients are aware of their diagnosis and obtain their consent to be referred to our service.

Urgent (Category 1) – conditions that have the potential to require more complex or emergency care if assessment is delayed

Examples:

  • Recently discharged hospital patients receiving IV antibiotics
  • Newly diagnosed HIV infection
  • Patients with Hepatitis B or C (non-cirrhotic) with the features listed below:
    • Marked changes in liver function tests (LFT) from baseline or liver enzymes > 5 times upper limit of normal
    • Pregnancy
    • Those about to undergo chemotherapy or immunosuppression (for oncological, rheumatological or autoimmune diseases)
  • Symptomatic infections – if immediate treatment is required, please refer patient to an emergency department (see Medical Emergency above)

Semi-urgent (Category 2) – conditions unlikely to require more complex or emergency care if assessment is delayed

Examples:

  • Hepatitis B or C with persistently elevated liver function tests
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) with multi-resistant organisms (MROs)
  • Recurrent skin and soft tissue infections
  • Pre-transplant or pre-immunosuppression infectious diseases screeninG

Non-urgent

Examples:

  • Non-acute infectious diseases
  • Chronic Hepatitis B or C with normal liver function tests

Contact details

Telephone: (08) 8204 8953
Fax: (08) 8204 8960
Hours: Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings

Location: Level 2 (Clinic M), Flinders Medical Centre
Directions: Use Western Carpark, enter through Main Entrance
Take stairs to Level 2, turn right down corridor before the Koala lifts. Follow corridor until destination is on the right.
Map: Flinders Medical Centre Precinct Map (PDF 587KB)