What treatment can I have at home?
If you’d normally be covered for the treatment in hospital, and your treating doctor agrees, you can have treatment at home instead. We will work with you, your doctor and hospital to cover the cost of the treatment at home if you need:
- intravenous (IV) therapy antibiotics
- complex wound care with negative pressure wound therapy
- rehabilitation after a hip or knee replacement
- IV chemotherapy.
Please note: Limits apply on HST services rendered. These limits sit with the Provider and your doctor should check these from the outset and advise you accordingly.
Depending on where you live and the treatment you need, you might also be able to choose your Hospital Substitute Treatment (HST) provider.
We've also been providing at-home support during COVID-19 to eligible members who have had hip or knee replacement surgery postponed.
What isn’t covered?
While we’re working to expand services for treatment at home, we only cover specific treatments that we have contracts with providers to deliver.
If the reason you’re in hospital or need treatment at home is in any way related to an incident, accident or surgery you can claim compensation for from another party (like a workers compensation insurer, motor accident authority or a public liability insurer), then you're not able to be covered by your private health insurance.
How long will I get treatment for?
We consider your treatment at home complete once the care you need can be given in the community (like visiting a GP clinic or getting a referral to community nursing to have dressing changes that would've happened after you left hospital). When you finish your treatment, the HST provider will refer you to community services if you need them.
As an example, HST for complex wound care means rt health will pay for the treatment for the time you would have stayed in hospital. Our contracted HST providers will talk to you about when the transition to options in the community will happen.