Before your consultation

Dr McLean is a bone and joint doctor who has a special interest in shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand problems. He has advanced, sub-specialty training in shoulder, upper limb and hand surgery. Dr McLean performs key-hole and minimally invasive surgery when possible.

For more information about Dr McLean’s practice, see www.jmclean.com.au

Dr McLean consults at Orthopaedics SA’s metropolitan offices located at Parkside,  Ashford Specialist Centre, Flinders Private Hospital, and Calvary Central Districts. His personal assistant will be able to help you find a suitable location. For all patient appointments and enquiries please contact our office via one of the following:

Phone: (08) 7077 0101. Fax: (08) 7077 0109.

Dr McLean is happy to receive referrals from your GP or another doctor. You can ask your doctor to fax or email a referral on your behalf, or you can bring a referral with you.

Medicare Australia requires a referral for a specialist consultation. If you wish to make an appointment online, visit the website: www.jmclean.com.au

Waiting times can vary, but normally do not exceed two weeks for routine, non-emergency private referrals.

Emergency injuries and elite sports persons are offered a same-day service, but this usually incurs additional "out-of-hours" costs.

A referral letter from a doctor is required. If you prefer, this can be sent directly to Dr McLean at Orthopaedics SA by:

Fax: (08) 7077 0109 or
Email: mcleanadmin@asulc.com.au

To avoid disappointment, please ensure you bring your health insurance details and any x-ray and/or scans (ultrasound, CT and MRI) with you on the day of your appointment.

The standard new patient consultation lasts up to 20 minutes. Some conditions are very simple, and a thorough explanation, including demonstrations with anatomical models, can take only 10 minutes. Some complex conditions can take much longer, and Dr McLean has usually identified these patients and made allowances for extra time.

Follow-up appointments normally last up to 10 minutes. Regardless of the time required, Dr McLean hopes that at the end of the consultation, enough time has been given to
fully explain the issues involved and answer any questions you may have.

A new patient consultation costs $159. If your claim is through WorkCover, these costs will be covered. If you are a private patient with health insurance, you will need to pay the fee at the time of the consultation; however, you will be reimbursed a portion of the cost through Medicare, which is currently $73.85.

Please discuss matters further with our administrative staff if you have any queries regarding this. There may be additional costs if "out-of-hours" emergency care is specifically requested, or if a second opinion has been requested. Second opinion consultations will have additional time scheduled as required.

Conditions that affect bone, such as fractures and arthritis, often need X-rays. An X-ray can be performed quickly and can be done on the same day at the hospital. Dr McLean
can discuss the results with you.

Scans (MRI, CT, and ultrasound) may be required and normally need to be booked in advance. Scans are usually performed on a separate day, and a follow-up appointment is required to discuss the results. Scans often require special equipment for interpretation and are looked at by an X-ray specialist (a Radiologist).

Scans can take time to be reported and we, therefore, recommend patients make a follow-up appointment a week later, by which time the X-ray doctor will have had
time to review the images and write a report. If you are unsure, when you are having your scan, ask the technician how long it will take to do the report.