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blood test charge for medical card patients

  • 15-05-2014 9:45am
    #1
    GoodLord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 445 ✭✭


    if a doctor is charging medical card patients for a blood test when they should not could they be sued? Also would it be in breach of consumer law. the rules are as follows

    "GPs cannot charge an eligible person ( i.e. a medical card holder or a GP Visit card holder) for circumstances where the taking of blood is necessary to either (a) assist in the process of diagnosing a patient or (b) monitor a diagnosed condition."


Comments

  • #2
    dublin daz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 480 ✭✭dublin daz


    Eligible patients being charged for phlebotomy services should report this to the Local Health Service Executive Office.

    http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/LHO/

    In certain cases where a a medical card holder or a GP visit card holder has been inappropriately charged for the taking of blood, the HSE will make deductions from those GPs' routine GMS payments.


  • #3
    GoodLord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 445 ✭✭GoodLord


    dublin daz wrote: »
    Eligible patients being charged for phlebotomy services should report this to the Local Health Service Executive Office.


    In certain cases where a a medical card holder or a GP visit card holder has been inappropriately charged for the taking of blood, the HSE will make deductions from those GPs' routine GMS payments.
    i know that but could a legal action be taken against them too? The patient will not get refund from the HSE deductions from those GPs


  • #4
    Dandelion6
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,405 ✭✭✭Dandelion6


    I can't imagine the cost of a legal action would be worth the refund, unless you were repeatedly charged over the years. Complaint to Medical Council maybe.


  • #5
    GerardKeating
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,806 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    GoodLord wrote: »
    if a doctor is charging medical card patients for a blood test when they should not could they be sued? Also would it be in breach of consumer law. the rules are as follows

    "GPs cannot charge an eligible person ( i.e. a medical card holder or a GP Visit card holder) for circumstances where the taking of blood is necessary to either (a) assist in the process of diagnosing a patient or (b) monitor a diagnosed condition."

    Some GP practices describe the charge as "Transport codes". They cannot charge you to take the blood, but unless you want to post it to the lab yourself....


  • #6
    Dingle_berry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 885 ✭✭✭Dingle_berry


    The HSE pays for or funds most pathology (blood) testing in Ireland. They also supply the equipment (forms, needles and collection tubes). Some GPs charge extra to cover practise nurses/phlebotomists, IT infrastructure and postage. As stated above, medical card patients shouldn't be charged.

    Incidentally if anyone ever tells you something along the lines of "the lab lost the sample" that is a lie 99.99999% of the time. Labs to not loose samples. Also a lab will issue a report for every request it receives. If you're told that the lab lost, damaged or ate your sample ask to see this report. It will most likely say that the test couldn't be done as the sample wasn't labelled or it was the wrong sample for that test. Then your GP gets another €70 from you.


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  • #7
    GoodLord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 445 ✭✭GoodLord


    Dingle_berry wrote: »
    The HSE pays for or funds most pathology (blood) testing in Ireland. They also supply the equipment (forms, needles and collection tubes). Some GPs charge extra to cover practise nurses/phlebotomists, IT infrastructure and postage. As stated above, medical card patients shouldn't be charged.

    Incidentally if anyone ever tells you something along the lines of "the lab lost the sample" that is a lie 99.99999% of the time. Labs to not loose samples. Also a lab will issue a report for every request it receives. If you're told that the lab lost, damaged or ate your sample ask to see this report. It will most likely say that the test couldn't be done as the sample wasn't labelled or it was the wrong sample for that test. Then your GP gets another €70 from you.
    they are already give hse money for practise nurses/phlebotomists


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