Urologists warned to rein in high fees

The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand says it's unacceptable for some urologists to be charging unreasonably high fees for surgery.

Australia’s population is ageing due to increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates. Can we provide adequate healthcare for them all? Source: SBS

Urologists charging excessively high fees for crucial operations including prostate cancer surgery have been warned to rein it in.

The Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand is aware a small number of urologists are quoting inflated out-of-pocket fees for surgery without proper justification, president Mark Frydenberg said on Sunday.

Some patients are having to access superannuation, take out loans or dip into their savings to pay for urological care, he told AAP from the group's annual scientific meeting on the Gold Coast.

"That's not what health is about," he said.

"We need to make sure patients are not harmed and not suffering.

"We are concerned patients may not access the proper care or are putting themselves under financial stress."

Professor Frydenberg said there was no evidence to suggest charging more for operations led to better outcomes and those who charged unreasonably high fees threatened to ruin the urology profession's reputation.