Is it free to see a doctor?

tommyjin83

Hi guys
I don't know if this is the place to ask the qustion as i couldn't find anywhere else i thought would be suitable so i am gonna shoot it.
Here it goes, i'm a college student, and i have been a the college medical center for a number of times in regard to my eye issues. As for now it hasn't been resolved.(ps:it's free to use the medical service in college)
My qustion is that if i ask my doctor to refer me to a eye doctor/specialist, will i be charged for it since i will be "refered", or is it all possible?
Any advice or information will be apperaciated.:p

RobFowl

OPD appointments on the public system are free (unless you are admitted then a 75 charge per day applies, Admission may not necessarily be overnight).
If its a private appointment to see a specialist a fee of 150-250 is usually charged though this varies from specialist to specialist.

ZYX

tommyjin83 wrote: »

Hi guys
I don't know if this is the place to ask the qustion as i couldn't find anywhere else i thought would be suitable so i am gonna shoot it.
Here it goes, i'm a college student, and i have been a the college medical center for a number of times in regard to my eye issues. As for now it hasn't been resolved.(ps:it's free to use the medical service in college)
My qustion is that if i ask my doctor to refer me to a eye doctor/specialist, will i be charged for it since i will be "refered", or is it all possible?
Any advice or information will be apperaciated.:p

You are OK. All out patient care in Public Hospitals in Ireland is free as are all investigations.

Victor

If you end up in the public hospital system, it is usually free.

tommyjin83

RobFowl wrote: »

OPD appointments on the public system are free (unless you are admitted then a 75 charge per day applies, Admission may not necessarily be overnight).
If its a private appointment to see a specialist a fee of 150-250 is usually charged though this varies from specialist to specialist.

Thanks a mil for ur help. So private appointment does not sounds good to me.:P

tommyjin83

ZYX wrote: »

You are OK. All out patient care in Public Hospitals in Ireland is free as are all investigations.

Thanks ZYX.:D

tommyjin83

Victor wrote: »

If you end up in the public hospital system, it is usually free.

Thanks Victor.:D

tommyjin83

Another qustion, why do i feel the doctors are reluctant to refer anybody to hospital or anywhere else?
Does anybody else ever feel this way before?

My guesses is that 1) the doctor is limitd to refer patients to hospital
2) it looks bad when he has to refer patients to hospital
3) the doctor has to pay to refer patient
God knows what the doctor thinks:D

sam34

tommyjin83 wrote: »

Another qustion, why do i feel the doctors are reluctant to refer anybody to hospital or anywhere else?
Does anybody else ever feel this way before?

My guesses is that 1) the doctor is limitd to refer patients to hospital
2) it looks bad when he has to refer patients to hospital
3) the doctor has to pay to refer patient
God knows what the doctor thinks:D

none of those apply.

GP's try and manage things appropriately in their own setting as much as possible.

this is to try and limit the demands on the hospital services, so that they are kept for those who really do require them.

there is no charge for referring, and no cap on the number you can refer onwards.

and any doctor who doesnt refer for fear of looking bad, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

one fo the most important qualities a doctor can have is knowing their limits and knowing when they need to ask a colleague for advice. this applies to hospital medics as much as GPs

nesf

tommyjin83 wrote: »

Another qustion, why do i feel the doctors are reluctant to refer anybody to hospital or anywhere else?
Does anybody else ever feel this way before?

My guesses is that 1) the doctor is limitd to refer patients to hospital
2) it looks bad when he has to refer patients to hospital
3) the doctor has to pay to refer patient
God knows what the doctor thinks:D

GPs are in a sense gatekeepers of the hospital service (not really since people can just turn up in A&E but you get the idea). They have a responsibility to not over-burden the hospital service with people who do not need that level of care. It's similar with referrals onto waiting lists. There will be queues and waiting lists even if only those who need the treatment are referred on, never mind if people who don't need that level of treatment are referred on.

taram

tommyjin83 wrote: »

Another qustion, why do i feel the doctors are reluctant to refer anybody to hospital or anywhere else?
Does anybody else ever feel this way before?

My guesses is that 1) the doctor is limitd to refer patients to hospital
2) it looks bad when he has to refer patients to hospital
3) the doctor has to pay to refer patient
God knows what the doctor thinks:D

Used to work in a GP's and constantly had people asking if I could "pop them down" onto the referral lists in front of me for minor complaints, ie. mild acne = dermatologist, felt a bit sick for a week = gastroent. :P From what I saw, GPs aren't limited in referring patients, but if there's other options to explore before that, then obviously the consultant, the HSE and the GP will prefer to do that, no point taking a place in a waiting list if the appropriate tests aren't done, or routine treatments tried first.

tommyjin83

Oh i see now, thanks so much for taking ur time to answer my silly question.
They say u learn something new everyday..:D:D:D