Referring a patient to Dr Tollesson
Referrals are accepted from general practitioners and specialists, by fax or by phone. They are triaged on receipt, urgent cases are given priority, and the rooms contact the patient directly to arrange a time.
(07) 3236 9555, with the imaging report and images released
(07) 3870 3708, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
Every referral is read on receipt; urgent cases are seen first
At a glance
(07) 3236 9555
Include the imaging report and release the images.
Anything urgent is better phoned through than faxed.
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Enquiries sent through this website are answered the next business day.
GP referrals 12 months.
Specialist referrals 3 months.
Send the images, not just the report.
A referral with the actual scans attached, or released to the patient or the rooms, can be triaged the day it arrives. A report alone usually means a delay while the images are chased.
Fax the referral letter to (07) 3236 9555, or phone the rooms on (07) 3870 3708 if you would rather talk it through first. Referrals from general practitioners are valid for 12 months and referrals from specialists for 3 months, which matters for the patient’s Medicare rebate.
Every referral is read by Dr Tollesson or the rooms as it arrives and sorted by urgency. Where the imaging is available it is reviewed before the appointment is made, so the first consultation can go straight to the options rather than to ordering scans.
The rooms then contact the patient to arrange a time, at the Spring Hill rooms or by telehealth for patients in Medicare-approved regions. A consultation letter is sent to you after the appointment, and again after any operation or significant change in plan.
What happens next
The rooms phone the patient to book. Urgent cases are seen ahead of the routine list. If a patient has not heard from the rooms within a week of a routine referral being sent, a phone call is welcome; faxes do occasionally go astray.
Telehealth
Video consultations are available for patients in Medicare-approved regions, including much of regional Queensland. The referral is handled in the same way; please note on it that the patient would prefer telehealth, and include a mobile number and email address.
What to include
A referral that carries all of this can be actioned without a call back to your practice.
- SymptomsPresenting symptoms, date of onset, and how they have changed since
- FindingsNeurological examination findings, including anything normal that is relevant
- ImagingModality, date and provider, with the images released to the patient or to the rooms; a report alone is not enough to plan from
- MedicationsCurrent medications, in particular anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, and known allergies
- HistoryRelevant past history, including previous neurosurgery, radiotherapy or malignancy
- ContactPatient contact details, including a mobile number, and a preferred time to call
- FundingWhether the patient has private health cover, DVA entitlement, WorkCover (pre-approval is required before an appointment), or will be self-insured
Referrals addressed to Dr Gert Tollesson, Brisbane Brain Surgery, Watkins Medical Centre, Level 10, 225 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill QLD 4000.
Every referral is read as it arrives and sorted by urgency. Where the imaging is available it is reviewed before the appointment is made.
When to phone rather than fax
Some presentations should not wait in a fax tray. Phone the rooms the same day, and the referral can follow.
- A new focal neurological deficit: weakness, numbness, speech or visual disturbance
- A first seizure, or a change in an established seizure pattern
- Rapidly progressive symptoms over days rather than weeks
- Features of raised intracranial pressure: headache that is worse in the morning or on lying flat, vomiting, drowsiness, papilloedema
- A newly found aneurysm, tumour or haemorrhage on imaging where the patient is otherwise well
Acute deterioration
A patient who is deteriorating acutely, or who has had a sudden severe headache, goes to an emergency department first. Please notify the rooms afterwards so that Dr Tollesson is aware of the admission and can be involved where appropriate.
Paediatric referrals
Children and adolescents are seen at the Spring Hill rooms and operated on at the Queensland Children’s Hospital. Referrals are made in the same way; please note the child’s age and the name of any paediatrician already involved.
Send a referral
If it suits your practice better than the fax, the referral can come through here. It reaches the rooms the same way, and is read as it arrives.
Anything urgent is better phoned through on (07) 3870 3708 than sent through a form. A patient deteriorating acutely goes to an emergency department.
Dr Gert TollessonNeurosurgeon, Brisbane
Questions before you refer?
The rooms are happy to talk a referral through, or to say whether a particular patient is better seen by Dr Tollesson or by another specialty.
Send a referral
Send the referral and the imaging report through the form on this page. The rooms phone your patient to arrange a time, so your practice does not need to follow up.
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. No referral yet? The rooms will explain what to ask your GP for.
Rooms and hospitals
Where patients are seen, where surgery takes place, and how to get there.