Iron Infusions
Referral Form for practitioners: Iron Infusion and Venesection Referral form (pdf)
Toowoomba Haematology provides iron infusions to eligible patients in the outpatient rooms as well as in the St Andrew's Toowoomba day unit.
A referral to the iron infusion service includes a consultation with one of our haematologists to confirm eligibility for the service as well as to consider the cause and recommend or arrange further investigation of the iron deficiency where appropriate. Alternatives to intravenous iron may be more suitable for some patients, and this will be discussed and considered at each consultation.
Intravenous iron is generally indicated for the following groups:
- Patients with anaemia and/or significant iron deficiency where oral iron is/has been poorly tolerated
- Where there is actual or suspected poor absorption of oral iron
- Where anaemia/iron deficiency needs to be more rapidly corrected
The service is available for all suitable patients including pregnant women and adolescents. For children under the age of 12, suitability will decided on a case by case basis.
The outpatient service is very safe - being directly overseen by one of our haematologists and our practice nurse.
We are able to see patients who require support for anaemia at very short notice (generally within 72h)
The process for access to the iron infusion clinic is as follows;
- Referral from GP, specialist or eligible nurse practitioner.
- Toowoomba Haematology will make contact with patient (patients are also welcome to contact the rooms to make an appointment directly)
- Toowoomba Haematology will provide a prescription for the patient to pick up from the community pharmacy at St Andrew's Hospital (or script can be faxed to any pharmacy of their choice).
- Patient brings iron to their appointment - consultation time with the haematologist is 15-20 mins, infusion time is approximately 20 mins, with a further 20 minutes post-infusion observation. Please allow an hour in total.
Venesections
Venesections are indicated for patients with Hereditary Haemochromatisis (HH), Polycythemia Vera (PV) and other forms of iron overload and polycythemic states. Dr Collins offers venesections to eligible patients in his rooms and in the St Andrew's day unit Toowoomba.
Patients without private health insurance
The iron infusion/venesection service is available to patients without private health insurance. As the service is provided on an outpatient basis, no hospital admission fee is payable.
Fees for outpatient iron service
- The combined out of pocket for the consultation with the haematologist as well as the infusion is approximately $150. A concession/pensioner discount is also available.
- Patients are required to fill a prescription for their iron before attending. This is paid directly to the pharmacy. The cost is currently around $6.60 for health care care holders, or up to $36 for those without a concession (price may vary between pharmacies)
General Practitioner Involvement
The service is offered on a referral basis only to recieve a medicare rebate for the service. Patients will need a valid referral from their GP, specialist or nurse practitioner. It is at the discretion of the GP (or other referrer) as to whether a referral to the service is suitable or necessary.