(FAQ)Frequently Asked Questions
General Respiratory and Lung Patient FAQs
What are your hours?
For all appointments and enquiries, please contact us on 02 9487 8373. Our practice hours are from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays).
For urgent appointments please ask your GP to call us, we will fit you in within 48h.
For lung cancer assessment or EBUS or cryobiopsy we have reserved appointmnets every week.
Will you process my payment on the spot?
Yes. For consults we will process your rebate on receipt of payments on the spot .
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 a Respiratory Specialist?
Dr Herath has a long wait time as she is highly regarded in her field . However she sees all urgent patients and lung cancer /bronchoscopy patients within 2 working days of receiving an urgent request from a GP or other referring specialist. All other patients are triaged according to the clinical urgency.
Can my GP call the Respiratory Specialist if they have to clarify something?
Absolutely. In fact, this is highly encouraged.
Dr Herath is happy to give their personal mobile number to your GP to ring them and most often they will ring your GP and handover your care if you have a complex medical condition.
Can I have lung function testing /breathing testing at Sydney Respiratory Specialist Clinic?
Yes, our Parkway lung function lab is operational for a multitude of breathing and exercise testing. We also provide allergy testing.
You can book the test with a referral from your GP or specialist.
Are breathing tests/lung function bulk billed?
No, this is a privately billing clinic and we maintain high standard and employ highly trained staff.
There is a small gap you need to pay for all lung function and allergy tests. Medicare rebate covers most of the cost of these tests and you will need a referral from your GP or Specialist to obtain this rebate.
Do I need to have a breathing test before my appointment?
This depends on your clinical condition.
Our Respiratory Specialist at the time of triaging your referral will indicate if a breathing test is required prior to the appointment and decide 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 Sydney Respiratory Specialist Clinic provide home sleep testing?
Yes our sleep service is SRS Sleep services provide home sleep studies.
Medicare eligible home sleep studies are bulk-billed. This includes the sleep study, scoring of the study by our Sydney based sleep scoring scientist and reporting by one of our Sleep Specialists.
What if I need imaging, CT or X ray?
During your initial consultation our specialists may tell you what type of imaging may be necessary for example, a CT scan of the chest.
The specialist may also review any relevant current imaging you have.
Please remember to bring any recent CT scans of the Chest t on a CD so that the doctor can have an in depth view of these images. The specialist can show the images to you on the monitor and discuss findings with you.
The specialist can write you a referral letter for additional imaging after examining you, if needed. You must inquire from the Radiology institution if there are out of pocket expenses as we do not have any influence on the prices they charge.
What are acceptable means of payment?
Patients can pay by cash, credit card and EFTPOS.
Amex is not accepted
How much is a consultation with the Sydney Respiratory Specialist Clinic and a follow up appointment?
Sydney Respiratory Specialist Clinic maintains very high standard of care and extremely well regarded in our field with very long waiting times to see our specialists. This is a privately billing clinic and there will always be an out of pocket cost.
The fee you have to pay at the reception depends on the length of the appointment and the complexity of the patient. We only accept second opinion appointments referred directly by a specialist.
Please note that the out of pocket cost is ALWAYS the same whether it’s a simple consultation or a complex consultation. We have done this to encourage patients to book for a time appropriate and adequate enough to discuss their condition.
The amount you have to bear would be exactly the same whether you take up a short to a long appointment.
Please book a longer appointment if you have complex issues to discuss.
Please call our friendly reception staff to find out the total cost, medicare rebate and the out of pocket cost of your appointment.
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 the Respiratory Specialist will have to order this CD and ask you to come again once they have had a look.
Where are you located? What are your consulting days?
Our main clinic with fully equipped consultation rooms, lung function lab and sleep lab is located at
The SAN Parkway clinic on Monday to Friday.
Consulting rooms locations are at:
Parkway San Clinic (Opposite The Sydney Adventist Hospital)
Suite 18, Level 1 ,
172 Fox Valley Road
Wahroonga, 2076
P: 02 9487 8373
F: 02 9475 0435
Which hospitals do you perform procedures in?
Dr Herath performs procedures in the following hospitals.
Northern Beaches Hospital
105 Frenchs Forest Road West
Frenchs Forest, 2086
P: (02) 9105 5000
Parking: Paid undercover carparking adjactent to the hospital.
Public transport detail for NBH.
The Sydney Adventist Hospital
185 Fox Valley Road
Wahroonga, 2076
P: (02) 9480 9111
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 Northern Beaches Hospital (For Public and Private patients) , Macquarie University Hospital (For Private patients) and Sydney Adventist Hospital depending on your location and availability.
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 Tuesday 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 02 9487 8373 Our practice hours are from 8:30am to 4.30pm 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.
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 medicare eligible sleep studies are bulked-billed.
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.
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?
SAN Parkway Clinic
SRS Sleep Service
Suite 18, Level 1
172 Fox Valley Road
Wahroonga
P: 02 9487 8373
F: 02 9475 0435
There is parking available under the building at patient cost.
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 sleep scientist.
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.
How long until I get my results?
Two weeks.
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 email the SRS Sleep Service at info@srssleep.com.au For more information