Private Scan Clinic /Public Patient

regularjoe_12

Hi there,

I just wanted to see if anyone can explain this to me or has experienced similar.

My GP made a referral to private scan clinic (which also takes public patients) and referred me as a public patient.

I waited almost 5 months which seems to be standard public time.

When i arrived to the clinic, they asked for my medical card ( i dont have one ) and noted i was in as public, but if i dont have a medical card i have to pay.

If i was refereed by my GP as public, waited the public waiting list, why on earth did i have to pay? The HSE website states this.

Im annoyed about the fact that i waited same time as public but still had to pay as if a private patient. Has this happened anyone else?

Jim2007

regularjoe_12 wrote: »

Hi there,

I just wanted to see if anyone can explain this to me or has experienced similar.

My GP made a referral to private scan clinic (which also takes public patients) and referred me as a public patient.

I waited almost 5 months which seems to be standard public time.

When i arrived to the clinic, they asked for my medical card ( i dont have one ) and noted i was in as public, but if i dont have a medical card i have to pay.

If i was refereed by my GP as public, waited the public waiting list, why on earth did i have to pay? The HSE website states this.

Im annoyed about the fact that i waited same time as public but still had to pay as if a private patient. Has this happened anyone else?

A public patient is one paid for out of public funds, everyone one else is a private patient... clearly not you. As your GP, why he referred you as a public patient he/she is the one that came up with the idea.

Credit Checker Moose

You got hosed by the clinic. You can be public and not have a medical card.

coylemj

regularjoe_12 wrote: »

If i was refereed by my GP as public, waited the public waiting list, why on earth did i have to pay? The HSE website states this.

The HSE website states what? Link?

regularjoe_12

As an update, the private scan clinic they explained following:
Clinic only takes Private or Medical Card Public patients.
They do not take any public (non medical card patients).

Non medical card public patients must wait for treatment at the local general public hospital.
Given the explanation from the clinic, it points to me as three tiers of healthcare in this country: Private, Medical Card Public, Non Medical Card Public.

And to answer someone above, i am a public patient. just because i don't qualify for a medical card does not make me a private patient.

And yes to me i did get "hosed" and likely the clinic is going to be paid twice by me an HSE because my doctor incorrectly refereed me as medical card patient.


Im not able to post a link but please try www hse ie / eng/aboug/who/acute hospital charges :


"Outpatient and Emergency Department (A+E) Charges If you are referred by your GP to out-patients for specialist assessment by a Consultant or his or her team for diagnostic assessments such as x-rays, laboratory tests or physiotherapy, there is no charge if you attend as a public patient. If you wish to attend a consultant as a private patient, you will be required to pay the appropriate private fee"..


I was refereed by my GP for outpatient test (such as xray scan) and should not have been charged.

coylemj

regularjoe_12 wrote: »

And yes to me i did get "hosed" and likely the clinic is going to be paid twice by me an HSE because my doctor incorrectly refereed me as medical card patient.

They won't get paid by the HSE because of a clerical error on the part of your GP. Unless they can quote a valid medical card number, they won't get paid.

regularjoe_12 wrote: »

Im not able to post a link but please try www hse ie / eng/aboug/who/acute hospital charges :

I know it won't come up as a clickable link but can you please post (copy & paste) that URL with no alterations. The closest I can find is this page and there's nothing about public patients attending private scan clinics.....

https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/acute-hospitals-division/patient-care/hospital-charges/

regularjoe_12

again as an update, i was with my GP Friday for results and he showed me exactly what he entered.he did not make this mistake. He entered no medical card and had to type twice this patient does not have a medical card on the referral. so GP did not make this clerical error.

it seems an error at the public hospital.

I suppose its just another inefficiency by administrators and my original frustrations still remain- i waited a long time and still had to pay.
if the public hospital was going to refer to me the private clinic that they have partnership with where i had to pay, i would have just done that myself from the start instead of waiting- the wait list is 2 weeks privately and 5 months public at this clinic.

thanks for the input .

coylemj

regularjoe_12 wrote: »

it seems an error at the public hospital.

Which public hospital? You said you were referred to a 'private scan clinic'.