Fee for requesting statement

Poster353 · 14-09-2011 1:59pm #1

I rang my doctors yesterday and was informed that there is a €30 fee for requesting a statement! I wanted to check the dates that I have been to the surgery for the past two years (to claim expenses on my vhi).

I would have thought that as a paying customer you are entitled to ask for a statement of account. Is it covered by the freedom of information act or is that just public bodies?

I am so mad that I would be asked to pay this. Im sure they have some sort of accounting system or could they just not spend 10 mins looking at my file??

I have spent €200 so far this year on doctors fees and will be paying at least another €100 before the year is out. Surely admin should be covered under this.

I held my tongue while on the phone as I was in shock but want to follow up on it! Any advice or similar situations would be appreciated!

keithclancy · 14-09-2011 2:12pm

Poster353 wrote: »

I rang my doctors yesterday and was informed that there is a €30 fee for requesting a statement! I wanted to check the dates that I have been to the surgery for the past two years (to claim expenses on my vhi).

I would have thought that as a paying customer you are entitled to ask for a statement of account. Is it covered by the freedom of information act or is that just public bodies?

I am so mad that I would be asked to pay this. Im sure they have some sort of accounting system or could they just not spend 10 mins looking at my file??

I have spent €200 so far this year on doctors fees and will be paying at least another €100 before the year is out. Surely admin should be covered under this.

I held my tongue while on the phone as I was in shock but want to follow up on it! Any advice or similar situations would be appreciated!

You could just have kept receipts.

What you might think takes 10 minutes might take allot longer.

Easily avoidable IMO.

Request under the Freedom of Information act also costs money afaik.

ghosttown · 14-09-2011 2:24pm

Also note that VHi won't pay out on a statement, they will want individual receipts (at least Quinn do)....so they may try charge you more if you want copy receipts.

Poster353 · 14-09-2011 2:31pm

I have most of the receipts so thank you for your suggestion to do that.

With a busy work, home and family life Im sure the best of us mislay receipts and this was to insure that I had accounted for all my medical expenses.

I am aware that it takes time to look things up and I know that it incurrs a cost, but I was merely looking for opinions on whether it should be presumed to be included in the €50 fee I pay per visit.

Im sure there are very few companies that I can think of that would not supply you with a statement of account. If they tried to charge you €30 for it, they would have very few recurring customers. Why should a doctors surgery be any different?

I think that under the Data Protection Act, I can seek access to the information that they hold on me. And that has to be free of charge. Can anyone confirm this for me?

Poster353 · 14-09-2011 2:34pm

Thanks Ghosttown. I had thought of that but at least I would not have to ask them to reprint them all.

I could understand in some way if they asked me to pay for copies of receipts, but maybe not as much as €30. Even though I rang the dentist yesterday and they are sending me a copy of a receipt without charge.

keithclancy · 14-09-2011 2:58pm

Poster353 wrote: »

I have most of the receipts so thank you for your suggestion to do that.

With a busy work, home and family life Im sure the best of us mislay receipts and this was to insure that I had accounted for all my medical expenses.

I am aware that it takes time to look things up and I know that it incurrs a cost, but I was merely looking for opinions on whether it should be presumed to be included in the €50 fee I pay per visit.

Im sure there are very few companies that I can think of that would not supply you with a statement of account. If they tried to charge you €30 for it, they would have very few recurring customers. Why should a doctors surgery be any different?

I think that under the Data Protection Act, I can seek access to the information that they hold on me. And that has to be free of charge. Can anyone confirm this for me?

Nope .. FOI Request still allows the company to charge an Admin fee.

The Doctor would have to go through their records and compile the information you need, this is information you should have already so its acceptable imo for the Doctor to have a charge.

I had to keep 3 years of receipts and logs for Tax Purposes, just have a box at hhome for the important stuff.