Unapproved healthcare services

Updated 22 October 2024

This list of unapproved healthcare services forms part of your Southern Cross health insurance policy (except for HealthEssentials).

The following healthcare services, including healthcare services which are similar to or have alternative names to those listed, are unapproved healthcare services, meaning that they are not covered by Southern Cross.  

This is not an exhaustive list of unapproved healthcare services. To find out if you will be covered for a particular healthcare service you can contact us or your healthcare services provider.  

This list may change from time to time as we continuously review cover for healthcare services and certain technology.  

Please note: The specialty headings used below are inserted for convenience of reference only and in no way define, limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of the list of unapproved healthcare services.


Cardiac

  • External counter pulsation therapy
  • Insertion of implantable cardiac event monitor (e.g. Reveal device)
  • Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) for peripheral vascular disease
  • Lead-less pacemaker (Medtronic Micra)
  • Minimally invasive aortic valve surgery
  • Replacement pacemaker (appliance)
  • Personalised external aortic root support (PEARS)
  • Sutureless cardiac valve and surgery (other than when the valve cost does not exceed the surgically implanted heart valve maximum as listed on the List of Prostheses and Specialised Equipment)
  • Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) (other than when using the transfemoral approach)
  • Transcatheter mitral valve repair or replacement (e.g. MitraClip, PASCAL)
  • Transcatheter tricuspid valve repair or replacement (e.g. TriClip, Cardioband, PASCAL)

Ear, nose and throat (ENT)

  • Insertion of bone conduction implant (e.g. BAHA, BONEBRIDGE)
  • Cochlear implant replacement receiver/stimulator appliance
  • Eustachian tube injections
  • Intranasal phototherapy (e.g. Rhinolight)
  • Insertion of LATERA nasal implant
  • Laser ear surgery (except for laser mastoidectomy, laser revision mastoidectomy, laser tympanoplasty, laser second look tympanoplasty, laser middle ear adhesiolysis, laser stapedectomy, laser medial canalplasty, and laser myringotomy)
  • Sleep apnoea surgery
  • Vidian neurectomy

General surgery

  • Anti-reflux mucosal ablation (ARMA)
  • BRAVA assisted breast reconstruction
  • Bulking agents including PTQ silicone microspheres
  • Colon Capsule Endoscopy
  • Colonic chromoendoscopy
  • EndoStim therapy
  • Endoscopic Full Thickness Resection
  • Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
  • Fascia preserving device (FPD) (e.g. Fasciotens)
  • Gastroduodenal artery embolisation
  • Laser ablation of common bile duct stones
  • Lloyd release procedure
  • Portal vein embolisation
  • Stretta procedure
  • Transanal total mesorectal excision of the rectum (TaTME)
  • Video-assisted fistula tract/sinus ablation (e.g. VAAFT, VAAPS)

Gynaecology

  • Hymenorrhaphy
  • Labiaplasty
  • Laparoscopic ovarian vein clipping
  • Laser treatment for atrophic vaginal changes (e.g. MonaLisa Touch)
  • Laser treatment for urinary incontinence (e.g. FemiLift)
  • MRI-guided ultrasound for ablation of uterine fibroids

Imaging

  • 123Iodine scan of the thyroid and whole body (Radioactive iodine uptake test, RAIU test)
  • 3D volumetric photography
  • Breast thermography
  • Carotid intima-media thickness test (CIMT)
  • Clinical photography
  • CT calcium scoring, except as part of CT coronary angiography (CTCA)
  • CT MARS Bioimaging
  • Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS)
  • Radionuclide imaging of the GI tract using tauroselcholic acid (75-se; SeHCAT)
  • Secretin enhanced MRCP
  • Smart seed markers (e.g. Radar “SAVI SCOUT” or Magnetic “Magseed" markers)

Interventional radiology

  • Cryoablation of central or peripheral nerve
  • Prostate Artery Embolisation
  • Radiofrequency ablation of Morton's neuroma
  • Renal aneurysm coiling
  • Renal denervation (RDN)
  • Sclerotherapy, embolisation, or clipping for pelvic vein incompetence or pelvic venous congestion syndrome

Neurosurgery

  • Embolisation or surgery for cerebrovascular abnormality (including aneurysm)
  • Occipital neurectomy and denervation skull base

Oncology

  • BioZorb breast implant
  • Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)
  • Irreversible electroporation (e.g. NanoKnife)
  • Radioligand therapy
  • Proton beam therapy
  • Rectal spacer (e.g. SpaceOAR Hydrogel)
  • Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT)
  • Transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) or Drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolisation (DEB-TACE)

Ophthalmology

  • BlephEx treatment
  • Ellex 2RT ophthalmic laser (other than for the treatment of significant macular oedema)
  • Eyelid warming (e.g. Blephasteam, EyeGiene, MGDRx eye bag, LipiFlow)
  • Insertion of implantable telescope (e.g. CentraSight)
  • Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for dry eye treatment
  • Microstents and microshunts for the treatment of glaucoma / Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) (except for devices specified on the list of prosthesis and specialised equipment)
  • Neural vision correction technology (e.g. NeuroVision therapy)
  • Ophthalmology custom implants except when used for prosthetic iris device and Artificial eye implant
  • YAG laser vitreolysis for vitreous floaters

Oral surgery

  • Partial glossectomy using laser

Orthopaedic surgery

  • Chitosan-based biomaterial (e.g. BST-CarGel)
  • Collagen nerve wrap/conduit (e.g. Neuragen nerve guide)
  • Interspinous dynamic stabilisation (e.g. Coflex, DIAM, Wallis, X-STOP)
  • Lumbar/thoracic disc replacement
  • Osteochondral grafting (e.g. OATS procedure, Mosaicplasty)
  • Robotic orthopaedic surgery (except for Robot-assisted total hip replacement and Robot-assisted knee replacement)
  • Sinus tarsi spacer for posterior tibialis reconstruction surgery
  • Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) including dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation
  • Subtalar implants (e.g. ProStop, BIOARCH)
  • Thermosensitive hydrogel (e.g. JointRep)

Plastic surgery

  • Abdominoplasty and/or repair of rectus divarication
  • Apronectomy/panniculectomy
  • Brow lift, except as part of a major facial lesion removal
  • Liposuction (except when used for an eligible breast reconstruction or revision surgery and secondary lymphedema following an oncological intervention)
  • Secondary lymphoedema reconstruction

Skin

  • Intralesional cryotherapy
  • Laser treatment of skin lesions/conditions
  • Microwave therapy for the treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis (e.g. miraDry)
  • Photodynamic therapy (PDT)
  • Phototesting for light sensitive dermatological disorders

Tests

  • Cxbladder test
  • Endocrine stimulation testing
  • Gastric alimetry
  • Hepatic venous pressure gradient test (HVPG)
  • InflammaDry MMP
  • Liquid biopsy (e.g. Guardant360, FoundationACT)
  • Prenatal tests (except for amniocentesis, maternal serum screening, triple X test and chorionic villus sampling)
  • Saline suppression test / Saline infusion test
  • Tilt table test

Urology

  • Allium prostatic stent
  • Drug Coated Urological Balloon e.g Optilume 
  • Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)
  • Periurethral bulking agent for urinary incontinence (e.g. Macroplastique) (except for Bulkamid)
  • Prostatic urethral lift surgery (e.g. UroLift)
  • Renal dialysis
  • Resonance metallic ureteral stent
  • Water vapour therapy for benign prostatic enlargement (e.g. Rezum)

Vascular

  • Covered endovascular reconstruction of aortic bifurcation (CERAB)
  • Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR)

Other

  • Acellular dermal matrix / Biological mesh (except when used in breast reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, gastrointestinal surgery, gynaecological surgery, and head and neck surgery)
  • Blood injections/transfusions/infusions (except when used for chemotherapy treatment)
  • Botulinum toxin injections (e.g. Botox, Dysport) (except when used in the treatment of anal fissures and laryngeal dystonia, or into the bladder, urethra, or pelvic floor in conjunction with a pudendal nerve block)
  • Colonic irrigation
  • Custom implants including patient-specific and 3D printed except when used Orthopaedic, Cranial and Maxillofacial surgery
  • Deoxycholic acid injection (e.g. Belkyra, Kybella)
  • ExAblate system
  • Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (other than for lithotripsy for the treatment of kidney stones)
  • Fat grafting and fat grafts (except when used for an eligible breast reconstruction or revision surgery, or as part of eligible ENT, oral, orthopaedic and neurosurgical procedures)
  • Feeding therapy
  • Hilotherapy
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
  • Laser treatment of ingrown toenails
  • Laser haemorrhoidoplasty +/- mucopexy
  • Limb lengthening using a Precice magnetic IM lengthening
  • Oolo-Austin Trigenics (OAT) procedure
  • Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
  • Radiofrequency neurotomy (except for thermal radiofrequency neurotomy of the medial branch nerves of the spine)
  • Radiotherapy treatment for the benign conditions plantar fasciitis, heterotopic ossification, pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS), keloid scars and Dupuytren's contracture
  • Stem cell therapy 
  • Therapeutic phlebotomy / Therapeutic venesection
  • Transilluminated powered phlebectomy
  • Viscosupplementation / Hyaluronic acid injection (e.g. Intra-articular injection of Durolane, Synvisc, Sodium hyaluronate)