Endocrine Department - Information for Health Professionals

Our clinic is located in Adult Outpatients Department A, Campus Centre Building, Prince of Wales Hospital (building 16 on our campus map). Information about how to get to our Randwick campus

Clinic Name	Clinic Day	Clinic Time
Endocrinology (Dr Kerry-Lee Milner)	Monday	9.00am-1.00pm
Osteoporosis and bone disorders (A/Prof Chris White)	Monday	9.00am-1.00pm
Endocrinology (Dr Barbara Depczynski)	Thursday	9.00am-1.00pm
Endocrinology (Dr Sue Mei Lau)	Thursday	9.00am-1.00pm

Name	Subspecialty
Dr Sue Mei Lau	Senior Staff Specialist
A/Prof Chris White	Senior Staff Specialist
Dr Barbara Depczynski	Senior Staff Specialist
Dr Kerry-Lee Milner	Senior Staff Specialist

Inclusion criteria

We treat patients aged 16 and above with endocrine disorders such as thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenal and gonadal disorders. We also treat disorders of bone metabolism, including osteoporosis. 

Exclusion criteria

Our service does not routinely see patients for obesity management alone. POWH does not have a dedicated multidisciplinary obesity clinic.

Diabetes outpatient services are booked separately through our Diabetes Centre, not through our Outpatients Department. For diabetes services, please phone (02) 9382 4600 or fax: (02) 9382 4612.

Please review our services provided and referral criteria. 

Referral forms

If your patient is eligible for treatment, please use this referral form. Fax the referral form to (02) 9382 0422 or (02) 9382 4688.

All mandatory information must be complete. The referral form ensures that you do not miss any mandatory information to enable a timely and appropriate referral.

Mandatory information for public and private referrals

You may receive a fax requesting a review of your referral if any of the following information is missing:

• Patient details, including full name, date of birth, phone number and Medicare number
• Consultant name (for private referrals)
• Clinic name 
• Next of Kin details
• Reason for referral 
• Diagnosis 
• Clinical urgency
• Results from investigations.

Private referrals (bulk-billed through Medicare)

All patients have the right to choose to be treated as a public or private patient for outpatient attendances. If your patient chooses to be treated privately and bulk-billed through Medicare, your referral must meet the following criteria:

• You must address the referral to one Consultant from our Specialist team, not the hospital, clinic, outpatient department or JMO
• You must sign and date the referral, and include your provider number and practice address
• You must state the period of referral in months, or refer “indefinitely”
• You must provide this referral on or prior to the appointment date.

We cannot process your referral if it does not meet the above criteria prior to your patient's initial appointment.

Your patient can choose to amend your referral on the day of their initial appointment. If you provide a private referral that is addressed to a Consultant, your patient may choose to: 

• Seek treatment from another provider within our team and change the Consultant's name on the referral themselves, or
• Decide to be treated as a public patient for their initial appointment, for which the private referral will be valid.

Please note that it is also inappropriate for our administration team to recommend a Consultant for your patient. We have listed the names and specialties of our Consultants above to help you decide on the most appropriate practitioner. 

Diabetes outpatient services are booked separately through our Diabetes Centre, not through our Outpatients Department. For diabetes services, please phone (02) 9382 4600 or fax: (02) 9382 4612.

Urgent referrals 

Referrals are triaged by one of our endocrine doctors according to clinical urgency. Our endocrinology department requires that you provide details in addition to the standard mandatory information above. Please provide the following additional details for timely and accurate triage, including:

• Pathology results 
• Radiology results 
• Comorbid conditions and medication list 
• Current treatment and management plan

If you do not provide these details, your referral will be returned for further clarification to accurately triage our clinic appointments.

If you require further information about urgent referrals, please call the Prince of Wales Hospital switchboard on (02) 9382 2222 and ask to speak with the Endocrinology Registrar.

Who will contact your patient to schedule an appointment?

The patient will be informed of their appointment via mail. If a mobile number is provided, an SMS will also be sent to the patient in the week prior to the appointment. Patients must specify if they do not wish to be contacted via SMS.

Referrals are triaged weekly by an endocrine doctor. Patients will be informed of their appointment, usually within 2-3 weeks. 

Who can you contact to follow up on a referral? 

You may phone our endocrinology department on (02) 9382 4602. 

What is the process if a patient misses or cancels their appointment?

Your patient can change or cancel their appointment by phoning (02) 9382 4602. Alternatively, you may send a fax on behalf of your patient to (02) 9382 4688.

 

We are a Medicare service. You must provide a referral that is addressed to one of our Specialist team if your patient wishes to be bulk-billed.