Emergency Department

Cabrini’s Alan, Ada and Eva Selwyn Emergency Department (ED) is a well-resourced unit supported by specialist emergency physicians and highly skilled nursing staff 24 hours, 7 days a week. The ED offers treatment of all emergency conditions, supported by rapid access to Cabrini specialists including cardiology, cardiothoracic, intensive care, neurosurgery, obstetrics, oncology, and paediatrics; and a full range of diagnostics services including CT and MRI.

We welcome all patients, whether they are ‘walk in’, referred to us by their GP, or arrive via ambulance. Our wait time to see a doctor is visible both on the Cabrini website and in our waiting area, and updated every few minutes. We treat over 24,000 adults, infants, children and adolescents every year with a 50% admission rate to our hospital services.

Our focus is to provide our patients and their families with high quality and compassionate care. Our follow up phone call program after each patient is discharged from the ED reflects our dedication to providing high quality care and enhancing patient experience.

We have an active teaching program and are accredited by the Australian College for Emergency Medicine for emergency specialist training. We are also active in Emergency Medicine research, leading in the area of Medical scribes to improve patient outcomes. 

We offer a full range of care for acute emergency conditions (except major trauma) including medical, surgical, obstetric and paediatric cases. We also provide:

• 24 hour CT scan access
• 24 hour pathology services
• Acute physiotherapy assessment
• Injury clinic with dedicated specialist Sports Physicians
• Ongoing review of patients discharged from the ED if necessary
• Urgent after hours ultrasound, nuclear medicine, MRI and other investigation services

Your total emergency account will vary depending upon the treatment(s) you receive on the day. The emergency attendance fee is a fixed out-of-pocket cost and applies to all patients including Medicare card and private health insurance holders. Unfortunately, this fee is not covered by the government or health funds however, it is necessary for us to be able to continue to offer high quality emergency service to the community. In case you require pathology or medical imaging services, some out-of-pocket charges may apply in addition to the emergency attendance fees.

The below fee estimates are for eligible Medicare-card holders.

Attendance Fee Weekdays  8am – 6pm $410 All other times $480

Pathology  Charges Maximum out-of-pocket cost for Medicare claimable outpatient pathology services if applicable $110

Medical Imaging  Charges Maximum out-of-pocket cost for Medicare claimable outpatient medical imaging services if applicable $400

Additional  Charges Non-Medicare claimable items such as specialist pathology tests, MRI, take home items and prescription based pharmacy items if applicable

Your out-of-pocket costs will contribute to your Medical Safety Net. Notes:

• If you are admitted to the hospital, we will provide you with financial information relating to your admission.
• Non-Medicare entitled patients (i.e. international visitors) are liable for Medicare fees in addition to the above.

Payment of accounts:

• Emergency Department medical account and discharge pharmacy items are payable prior to discharge.
• Invoices for Pathology, Medical Imaging and take-home items will be posted.

Student discount

We offer a 50% discount of our emergency attendance fee to students of registered schools and preschools and junior members, aged 17 years and under, of registered sporting clubs. The 50% discount applies to the attendance fee only and does not include any further out-of-pocket expenses such as x-rays and blood tests.

• Register your school or sports club interest in our student discount
• View the list of registered pre-schools, primary and high schools

Sporting club partnerships

Cabrini Emergency Department proudly supports junior football clubs in the South-Eastern region of Melbourne.  We offer a 50% discount of our emergency attendance fee, and if required a bulk-billed Sports Physician follow-up visit on the Monday for cases seen on the weekend. Participating sporting clubs are:

• View the list of participating Football Victoria Clubs
• View the list of participating South Metro Junior Football League Clubs

If you attend the Cabrini Emergency Department as a result of a sporting incident, your club insurance may cover some of your medical costs. Please take your receipts to the club once they have been paid for possible re-imbursement.

We have prepared an extensive series of patient information sheets that relate to many of the common injuries and ailments of people presenting to our ED. The following sheets detail the typical treatments, what to expect, follow up information and how to seek help if symptoms or conditions don't improve.

Education and clinical research are important elements of what we do. Cabrini Emergency Department is part of Monash Partners, an innovative partnership program connecting researchers, clinicians and community to innovate for better health for Victorians.

Our emergency physicians and staff are involved with several leading research initiatives. Click here to find out more about our Researchers, Scribe program and Academic Publications.

If you are interested in conducting research with us, whether as a collaborator or trainee, please contact Dr Walker via email: kwalker@cabrini.com.au or call (03) 9508 1550.

We welcome support from our valued donors who fund our research projects. If you are interested in learning more about making a tax-deductible donation to our emergency department programs, please get in touch with Cabrini Foundation on (03) 9508 1380.