Origin / Vincent Pallotti

Hi Astri

Thank you for all the info it will help me a great deal. I don't mind the co payment but to pay a few thousand rands out of my pocket is out of the question. I will also take the labour ward tour and see which one I like the most and take it from there.

Thanks again for your help and all of the best in your last few weeks.

Morning Jay-Bee01,

I am considering going to Origin for my birthing experience and am on the Classic Delta Saver plan with Discovery. My plan unfortunately restricts me to a hospitals on a network, meaning if I decided to go with Origin I would have to pay an additional R6450 on my own account to have this choice.

Origin is registered with Discovery and I would suggest you contact Discovery via their Call Centre. They will send you a Pre-authorization Form to complete and submit. You will not be able to to use the online pre-authorization tool as Discovery has not yet updated it with Origins details.

Facility : New Beginings Maternity Holdings Pty Ltd (Practice No. 0633208)
Treating Healthcare Professional: Grove & De Beer (Practice No. 0622184)

Once you received your Pre-authorization Number you can then complete a Pre-assessment Form to get an idea how much they would cover.

From my plan the Hospitalization in the Semi-Private Rooms (2 beds) for 2 nights (3 days) is covered by the Hospital Benefit Plan, as well as the Birthing room.
The non-refundable Bed Booking Fee of R1800 is for your own account and will not be reimbursed.
The upgrade to a Private Room (R4000 for first night; R2500 for second night) is for your own account. This allows your Hubby to stay with you which is great, and includes all meals.
The Midwifery Fee of R3000 is partially covered by Discovery and there will be a co-payment. Depending on your plan this will vary. My co-payment is R387.

Something to bear in mind is that you will have to visit a midwife every 2 weeks, and then closer to the time with will increase to weekly visits at R450 a visit.

SimmyBunZ is correct in saying that neither Vincent Palloti nor Panorama have any OBs that are fully covered by Discovery and there will always be a co-payment.

Again I would suggest you send through a Pre-assessment to get an idea of how much Discovery would cover.

Hi Simmy,

I had my baby a few months ago at Louis Leipoldt Medi Clinic and when I went on the maternity ward tour I asked them specifically if I could walk around, use the birthing ball and have a shower etc while in labour and they said yes. What they didn't tell me is yes you can move around but when you get to +- 5cm dilated you have to lay on your back in bed with the baby fetal monitor strapped to your belly and not allowed to get up or even lay on your side. Its to cover themselves (insurance wise) that they can easily detect if baby is in distress etc. I personally didn't want to be restricted to the bed and was and still am very dissapointed.

According to my broker Coastal Core does cover Origin just not the private rooms but they general 2 bedroom rooms are. I am looking to have a midwife birth my future baby with a ob and pead as backup. I am not sure what specialists are covered if there are any at that hospital but I am going to call both Discovery and Origin in the morning and get some solid answers. DO you know if you can only have a water birth in the private rooms of Origin?

I will let you know all the info I gather as Origin is just so beautiful but also not willing to fork out thousand of rands.

Hi!

I'm on Discovery Coastal Core, and wanted to deliver at Origin.
Discovery just doesn't find Origin on their system, so I have had no luck with them. I have searched with the names "Origin Maternity Hospital", "New Beginnings Maternity Holdings" as well as the practice number and they say it's not on their system so not covered. Maybe it is because they are so new, they aren't yet registered? I will possibly move if it becomes possible at a later stage.
Also, it won't be fully covered. You will pay in I think R4000 for a private room, as well as for the OB because none of them are fully covered by Discovery. If you need an anaesthetist you will also have a co=payment, and probably for the peadiatrician as well.
I also then thought about Vincent Palotti or Panorama, but there is no OB that is fully covered at either hospital. Use this link and you can log in and search for hospitals and doctors- www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/maps-new
Make sure to select "In-hospital admission" and also "Only display providers that will give me maximum cover - full cover".

I have just decided to go with a Mediclinic and a fully covered OB. I can't afford to pay thousands out of pocket for the prenatal care as well as the birth, although I desperately wanted the kind of experience that Origin provides.

Please let me know if you have any luck with either of those hospitals/any doctors at those hospitals, or if you find out what the out of pocket expenses would be and they seem bearable.

Good luck!

Hi Ladies

Have any of you birthed at the new Origin and if so what was your experience? I am looking to have a water birth for my next baby (planning ahead) and wonder on how to go about it. Do you know if Discovery Coastal Core will cover my whole stay at Origin as well?

On the other hand I heard Vincent Pallotti also does water births any experiences on that?

Thanking you