Saw Consultant privately now not allowed go public?

ChewChew

The public/private hospital arguement could go on and on and on. I brought this very argument to my manager today who confirmed that there is no legitimate reason as to why the OP can't go onto the public system as a public patient. The gp will just need to write to the OPD.

gazzer

Sorry for opening this old thread but I am looking for some advice about a public consultation that my mother is waiting on.

She has bad arthritis in her hands to the extent that over the last few months she cant open bottles or carry bags. She went to her GP who got in touch with the Mater Rheumatology Dept. My mother got a letter last week for an appointment and it for December 2012.

Im not prepared to have my mother wait for over a year to see the consultant. God only knows what state her hands will be by then so I want to pay for her to see the consultant privately. She doesnt have Health insurance and her and my father are living off his pension so there isnt a whole lot of money spare.

She is afraid that if she goes privately for the initial consultation then she will be made pay for any treatment privately as well.

The way I look at it is I want her to go see the consultant privately and then we will deal with whatever news comes from that. If I can afford to pay privately for her treatment I will but if I cant then at least we know what the initial dignosis is and if she needs to go back on the public list for treatment at least she will have gotten past the bottleneck stage of waiting to see the consultant for the initial treatment.

God forbid that the diagnosis was serious but if it was surlely the hospital is not going to refuse her to go back on the public list for treatment
What are you thoughts on this?

BostonB

You'd have to ask the hospital how it works. When I last asked I got a different answer every time. Which strikes me as its not a very organised, or efficient system.

The rule seems to be, if you have insurance, they'll charge it as much as they can. Even if you go public. Choosing to do some of it privately seemed to be an option, but I couldn't get a straight answer.

Considering it took huge pressure from me for one paper pusher to send a fax, I think you might have to push it through.

ppink

It is funny you post this now. I recently had a private consultation (different issue to original) and I needed tests done. So I was booked in having given all my insurance details. I had the tests and they then billed me for close to €500. Apparently my insurance does not cover the tests but noone told me .
so make sure they give you a breakdown of costs.

As to the original, the consultant would not see me publically, unless I went and got referred again.

gazzer

Tried to contact the consultants office this morning. Rang on 5 different occasions but kept getting a voice mail. In the end I left a message so hopefully they will call back.

ppink

can you avail of the scheme for going abroad. I cant remember the name of it but I thought it was for people who were waiting longer than 3 months? maybe it is just for surgery but no harm in askign HSE?

gazzer

ppink wrote: »

can you avail of the scheme for going abroad. I cant remember the name of it but I thought it was for people who were waiting longer than 3 months? maybe it is just for surgery but no harm in askign HSE?

The Hospital Treatment Purchase Fund? I checked the FAQ's on their web site and as far as I can make out that scheme is for people who are waiting for operations after having seen a consultant. So it would be beneficial for my mother if she needed an operation and there was a long waiting list. However, she still has to see the consultant first. The waiting list for that isnt not covered under the HTPF

ppink

yes thats the one I was thinking of. I was just reading recently that Ireland has a very low number of rheumatologists in comparison to other countries so that may be a reason for such a long wait, similar to neurologists.
I do know people who get referred to the UK for consultants that we do not have here but again you have to pay. It is cheaper to go to a consultant there though from what I have seen. Here the professors will cost €250 for just the consult.

This country depresses me with its health system:(

hamlet1

gazzer wrote: »

Sorry for opening this old thread but I am looking for some advice about a public consultation that my mother is waiting on.

She has bad arthritis in her hands to the extent that over the last few months she cant open bottles or carry bags. She went to her GP who got in touch with the Mater Rheumatology Dept. My mother got a letter last week for an appointment and it for December 2012.

Im not prepared to have my mother wait for over a year to see the consultant. God only knows what state her hands will be by then so I want to pay for her to see the consultant privately. She doesnt have Health insurance and her and my father are living off his pension so there isnt a whole lot of money spare.

She is afraid that if she goes privately for the initial consultation then she will be made pay for any treatment privately as well.

The way I look at it is I want her to go see the consultant privately and then we will deal with whatever news comes from that. If I can afford to pay privately for her treatment I will but if I cant then at least we know what the initial dignosis is and if she needs to go back on the public list for treatment at least she will have gotten past the bottleneck stage of waiting to see the consultant for the initial treatment.

God forbid that the diagnosis was serious but if it was surlely the hospital is not going to refuse her to go back on the public list for treatment
What are you thoughts on this?

if i were you i would attend your consultant as a private patient.the treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is mainly medications which will be covered by her medical card or drugs refund scheme if she is under 70.while it may cost you a bit for the initial consultation and any tests yuor mother might need,the sooner she is seen the better outcome for her,dec 2012 is too far away.best of luck

cormicar

Giggles1982 wrote: »

Tell them you cant afford to continue privately ! Plenty of people are cancelling their insurance because they are losing jobs etc. Just because you chose to pay to go privately initially ( i assume you were too worried / anxious etc to wait the 3 months ) doesnt mean you should be excluded from the public system entirely. You'll have to go back down the bottom of the list now as they cancelled your appointment.

A friend of mine had attended the same consultant both privately & public at same time so I dont see what the problem is , it happens everyday . ( I work in healthcare I see it ) .

I want to be able to do the opposite. I have private health insurance and want to see a particular consultant publicly (to avoid €150 consultation fee) and then get the operation done privately. Can anyone tell me I can specify a consultant to see publicly and then get an operation done by him privately.

BostonB

We've done that public consult then op done privately by same consultant.

That is said we've been trying to get a breakdown of a bill and a consistent explanation of the billing process for a year and had no success. The only conclusion we can come to is that they'll bill you privately where they can. The main issue is with the administration and billing people who dictate these things the front line staff being completely free frustrated with the process.

huskerdu

cormicar wrote: »

I want to be able to do the opposite. I have private health insurance and want to see a particular consultant publicly (to avoid €150 consultation fee) and then get the operation done privately. Can anyone tell me I can specify a consultant to see publicly and then get an operation done by him privately.

No.

If you want to see a consultant in a public hospital, your GP writes a referral letter to the Out Patients Department of the hospital, You will get an appointment for a clinic. You cannot specify which consultant you see and you will not be seen by the actual consultant anyway, You will be seen by one of the Drs on the team which is overseen by the consultant.
If you do this and get a diagnosis and you need an operation and you ask the consultant if they can do it privately, you will have to make an appointment to see the consultant in the private clinic and you will get charged 150 for this appointment.

jessiejam

I know this is an old thread, but I have a question that I would appreciate an answer to. My OH was reffered to a pain management consultant and recieved an appointment in the post for February 2014!. He is obviously being reffered as he is in crippling pain everyday and short of going on morphine he has tried every other pain med available.
His pain is affecting everything in his life, his work etc. He can't wait that long so he has booked a private consult and hopefully he should be seen by the end of October.
My question is, if he sees the doc privately, will it be possible for him to keep his appt for feb 14 on the public waiting list? or will this be cancelled. He can't afford to see him privately long term but has to get some sort of pain relief plan going.

Is it all dependant on the consultant?

Thanks

BostonB

huskerdu wrote: »

cormicar wrote: »

I want to be able to do the opposite. I have private health insurance and want to see a particular consultant publicly (to avoid €150 consultation fee) and then get the operation done privately. Can anyone tell me I can specify a consultant to see publicly and then get an operation done by him privately.

No.

If you want to see a consultant in a public hospital, your GP writes a referral letter to the Out Patients Department of the hospital, You will get an appointment for a clinic. You cannot specify which consultant you see and you will not be seen by the actual consultant anyway, You will be seen by one of the Drs on the team which is overseen by the consultant.
If you do this and get a diagnosis and you need an operation and you ask the consultant if they can do it privately, you will have to make an appointment to see the consultant in the private clinic and you will get charged 150 for this appointment.

Curiously enough we see the consultant publicly had an operation publicly but then the hospital billed our insurance for it privately.

Been trying for over a year to get the billing explained and a breakdown of the billing with no result. Every explation contradicts the last one. I suspect they bill the insurance where they can to save money.

aynneone

Ok, thoughts on this one please?.. My partner had a growth removed off his forehead last week, it came back with carcinoma in situ, and he basically has to get in opened again and a wider margin taken off. Hes a taxi driver, abs no health cover at all, no medical card etc etc so our GP referred him into the public system, got a letter on Friday with an apt for the middle of Feb, to me thats just too far away, both a previous experience with my father, and the fact my partner and I are in our 50s, and only 2 years together despite knowing each other for over 30 years, Im terrfied something will happen to him. I rang the consultant he has been referred to publicly, in his private rooms and spoke with his sec today, explained the suitation, she told me as long as my GP faxed another referral letter to her we could get a private app, and if by any miracle we can find the money to get this excision done privately, to do that, we can then revert to the public system to get any follow up treatment... Having said that, the first private app is the beginning of Jan....