General Respiratory and Lung Patient FAQs

What are your hours?

For all appointments and enquiries, please contact us on 1300 586 437 Our practice hours are from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays). For urgent appointments please ask your GP to call us, we will fit you in within 48h.  

Will you process my payment on the spot?

Yes. For consults we will process your rebate on receipt of payments and the remittance will be sent straight to your bank account within 1-2 days.
You do not need to do anything further.
The claim will be sent to Medicare online  

How long does it take to get in to see Dr Herath?

Dr Herath aims to see all patients within one to two weeks and urgent patients within 2 working days of receiving an urgent request from a GP or other referring specialist.  

Can my GP call Dr Herath if they have to clarify something?

Absolutely. In fact, this is highly encouraged.
Dr Herath is happy to give her personal mobile number to your GP to ring her and most often she will ring your GP and handover your care if you have a complex medical condition.  

Can I have lung function testing /breathing testing with Dr Herath?

Yes, SRS lung function lab is operational for a multitude of breathing and exercise testing. You can book the test with a referral from your GP or specialist.  

Do I need to have a breathing test before my appointment?

This depends on your clinical condition.
Dr Herath will examine you and decide if you need a test and which tests are required.
Usually lung function tests are organised during the follow up visits to occur just before your clinic appointment so that you can do both breathing test and Dr visit on the same day with convenience.  

Does Dr Herath provide sleep testing?

Yes SRS Sleep services provide home sleep studies.
This service is 100% bulk billed with a GP referral.
For more information click here  

What if I need imaging?

During your initial consultation Dr Herath may tell you what type of imaging may be necessary for example, a CT scan of the chest.
She may also review any relevant current imaging you have.
Please remember to bring this with you on a CD so that she can show tris to you on the monitor and discuss findings with you.
Dr Herath can write you a referral letter for additional imaging after examining you.

What are acceptable means of payment?

Patients can pay by cash, credit card and EFTPOS.
NB. Amex is not accepted

How much is a consultation with Dr Herath and a follow up appointment?

For respiratory conditions the first consult with Dr Herath is $280 AUD with a $130 AUD rebate (out of pocket $150 AUD) and follow up consults are $165 with a $65 AUD rebate (out of pocket $100 AUD).
Consults for home sleep testing are all 100% bulk-billed, as are follow up consults with Dr Herath related to diagnosed sleep apnoea if the patient had a sleep study at SRS Sleep services.

What should I bring to my first appointment?

• A current referral from your doctor or specialist
• Previous imaging or correspondence related to your condition
• A list of your medications and allergies (including natural preparations such as fish oil and turmeric)
• If you have chest CT, pls ask the imaging company to make a CD for you and bring it to our rooms. Having a CD will markedly assist in diagnosing your condition and prevents delays.
• Otherwise Dr Herath will have to order this CD and ask you to come again once she has had a look.

Where are you located? What are your consulting days?

Dr Herath consults at Westmead Private on Tuesday and Wednesday
The SAN on Monday, Thursday and Friday.
Consulting rooms locations are at:

The Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAN) Clinic Parkway

Suite 33, Level1
172 Fox Valley Road
Wahroonga
P: 1300 586 437
F: 02 9475 0435
Parking details for The SAN Hospital
Public transport details for The SAN
Online patient admission to The SAN

Which hospitals do you perform procedures in?

Dr Herath performs procedures in the following hospitals.

Westmead Public Hospital

Cnr Hawkesbury Rd and Darcy Rd Westmead, 2145
Parking details for Westmead Hospital
Public transport details for Westmead Hospital
Patient admission information for Westmead Hospital

Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Room 5, Reception A,
110-143 Missenden Rd
Camperdown 2050
P: 1300 586 437
F: 02 9475 0435
Subsidised parking details for Lifehouse here
Public Transport details for Lifehouse here

Will I need a bronchoscopy procedure?

This depends on your clinical condition.
Dr Herath is an advanced bronchoscopist and is able to perform minimal to most invasive procedures bronchoscopically
If a procedure is required this will be fully discussed at your consultation, an information leaflet will be provided for you to go home and review (or see online) and procedure explained to you.

Where can I have the procedure?

If you are privately insured you can have the procedure at Westmead PVT, SAN hospital or Chris O’brien Lifehouse or MUH depending on your location.
You will have an anaesthetist looking after your procedure and will be under a general anaesthetic.
If you do not have private insurance, Dr Herath will place you on the public hospital wait list.
She usually performs Bronchoscopy for public patients on Wednesday am every week.
Some advanced procedures can be done only in certain locations due to equipment availability and Dr Herath will discuss this case by case.

If I am not privately insured, can I still have the procedure at a private hospital with anaesthetist supervision?
Yes, you can and some patients opt to do this depending on the clinical situation.

When can I drive after have an investigative lung procedure?

Most are day procedures and you can drive the next day
Someone should be staying with you on the night of the procedure.
If you cannot organise this Dr Herath will arrange for you to stay in hospital overnight

Sleep Patient FAQs

What are your hours?

For all appointments and enquiries, please contact us on 1300 586 437 Our practice hours are from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).
For urgent appointments please ask your GP to call us and we will book you in to see Dr Herath within 48h.

How long does it take to get in to see Dr Herath?

Dr Herath aims to see all patients within one – two weeks and urgent patients within 2 days upon receiving an urgent request from a GP or other referring specialist.
Please ask your GP or cardiologist to contact our staff if you require an urgent appointment.
All home sleep tests and sleep consults are bulk-billed.
For more information on our sleep clinic click here.

Do I need a referral to have a sleep study and how much will the consult and
home sleep test cost?

Yes, a written referral from a GP is required.
All home sleep testing consults are bulk-billed.
All home sleep tests are also 100% bulk-billed, unlike many third-party providers who charge a fee of often $200+.
This is because third party providers do not provide a physician assessment of the patient, nor is an extensive clinical medical history taken, so it is often not rebated by Medicare.
At SRS you will also be assessed by both a sleep physician (Dr Herath) and a qualified senior sleep therapist (Candice Tang).
The only costs to the patient will be consumables such as a sleep mask and CPAP machine, should you require one.

What should I bring to my first appointment?

• A current referral from your doctor or health specialist
• Previous imaging or correspondence related to your condition
• A list of your medications and allergies (including natural preparations such as fish oil and turmeric)

Where are your sleep clinics located?

The Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAN) Clinic Parkway

SRS Sleep Service
Suite 33, Level1
172 Fox Valley Road
Wahroonga
P: 1300 586 437
F: 02 9475 0435
Parking details for The SAN Hospital
Public transport details for The SAN
Online patient admission to The SAN

Does Dr Herath only look after sleep apnoea?

No. Dr Herath is an extensively experienced sleep physician. She has completed a post specialist fellowship in sleep medicine at the Woolcock Institute of Sleep and Circadian Rhythm group.
She has also completed a Master’s degree in vigilance in sleep apnoea at the university of Sydney.
She is an active member of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research Multidisciplinary meetings to bring in the most up-to-date care and research openings to her patients.

What other conditions other than sleep apnoea does Dr Herath consult?

Dr Herath consults on broad variety of sleep conditions.
She has a special interest in narcolepsy and had participated in the Stanford University Study on investigating a blood biomarker for narcolepsy patients whilst doing her fellowship at Woolcock.
She consults on REM behavioural disorders (movement disorders during sleep), parasomnia (sleep walking, sleep eating), sleep psychiatry conditions ( PTSD, depression and sleep) and sleep neurology conditions (Parkinson’s and sleep).

Who will “score” my home sleep test results?

Sleep studies only provide a “snapshot summary” of the total test sleep duration
All of Dr Herath’s sleep studies are scored in Sydney by a local sleep scientist.
Should Dr Herath have a question whilst reporting the sleep study she can quickly consult her scorer.

Do you do children’s sleep studies too?

No Dr Herath is an adult sleep physician and cares for patients 16 years or older.

How does a sleep study actually happen?

Once the sleep machine is attached to you, it does a variety of monitoring including:
EEG pattern (brain waves) to detect types of sleep (deep Vs light vs REM), ECG (heart rhythm), Breathing signal from the nose, eye movement signal, chest movement, abdominal movement, chin movement, leg movement, arm movement (if required), Oxygen saturation throughout the night etc.
Once you return the machine, Dr Herath will screen the recording immediately to check for your heart rhythm oxygen level at night and if you have severe apnoea and call you immediately for a follow up if there are concerns on the same day
This recording then goes to a scorer. This is a sleep scientist, who looks at the data carefully and screens categorises your sleep stages as well as your breathing movements. Then they generate a report and comment on how efficient the signals are.
This comes back to Dr Herath who looks at a more refined report now and organises the appropriate follow-up.
With most third-party providers, the second set-up where on return of a machine a sleep physician checks the results does not occur. Therefore, if you have an abnormality it is often not noted for many weeks.

Why have I been referred for a home sleep study, rather than a laboratory study?

The decision as to which sleep study suits your needs best should ideally be made by a sleep physician who will assess your medical condition and personal circumstances.
Whilst 80% of sleep patients are suitable for home testing, 20% require in depth lab testing, especially patients with a previous history of heart disease and past stokes.
A dedicated sleep physician is well-placed to decide which type of testing is best for you and any differential diagnoses.
If for instance sleep thrashing is involved, this can occasionally be a subtle sign of early Parkinson’s disease, while sleep apnoea is often misdiagnosed as depression.

If I do a home test do I have to “fit” it myself?

No at SRS Sleep Service, we will fit the machine so that you can wear it overnight your clothes and simply drive home.
This minimises any patient errors in setups that can impact the accuracy of the results. You will not need to set up the recording or do anything as it is set up automatically.
You do not have to press any buttons
Watch our sleep video here.

How long until I get my results?

One week.
Dr Herath looks at your raw data of the sleep study as soon as the machine is returned to us the next morning.
If there are any ECG (cardiac monitoring abnormalities) or severe sleep apnoea you would get a call from us immediately.
This is another advantage of having a sleep physician-driven home sleep study.
Not only will you get a physician-assessed diagnostic study but if there are any abnormalities they can be addressed and identified by your sleep physician early.
With third party providers, there are usually no sleep physicians onsite and the report will have to be sent for scoring to the sleep scientist (often overseas).
The sleep scientist then sends it to the sleep physician, who usually remotely reports these studies.
This may take few weeks and it’s most often only then, that any abnormality would be detected.
And even then, the reporting sleep physician usually has never physically seen the patient and decisions regarding treatment cannot be made as quickly.

I work in transport as a commercial driver and cannot drive due to sleep apnoea. How can SRS assist?

SRS will assist with RMS and transport related licensing matters relating to sleep apnoea, especially with commercial drivers. We treat this an urgent matter, with no extra cost to patients.

What is the SRS sleep service motto?

We believe in quality, personalised patient care, not just for a single sleep test, or for the purchase of a CPAP machine – but for a lifetime.
We are committed to providing holistic, affordable and patient centred care and we can:

• Help you with funding applications to health funds and for electricity rebates. Some health funds cover 60-75% of the cost of a CPAP machine.
• Help you source the latest, quietest, smallest and most comfortable CPAP machines for your budget and requirements.
• Provide a five-year warranty for no extra charge up to 5 years on equipment, compared to the standard 2-3 years.
  Provide extensive “how to” free video support. This includes home sleep test set up, cleaning and maintenance of your advice, troubleshooting with you on the phone so you don’t have to see us every time.
• All future consults relating to your sleep apnoea with Dr Herath will be bulk-billed.

Where can I find more about purchase of CPAP machines and online purchase options?

Please visit the SRS Sleep Service website at www.SRSsleep.com.au For more information