Insured

Using Private insurance – Check what is covered by your insurance?

If your hospital visit is being funded by an insurance company, payment will be made direct by your insurer in line with agreements we hold with them. To ensure that your insurance company will cover payment, please follow the instructions below.

Before you attend St Hugh’s Hospital for consultation, it’s essential that you get authorisation from your insurance company. So, before your first appointment, you should contact them to check the following:

• Is your condition covered?
• Does your insurance company recognise the consultant you have chosen?
• Are there any monetary limits for outpatient treatment on your policy?
• Are you covered for the planned treatment, including your first out-patient appointment?
• Is there an excess payable on your policy?
• Is outpatient cover restricted to claims that result in a hospital admission
• Check your policy for any limits on the amount you can claim on certain types of treatment

 

Remember to check that you’re covered at each stage of your treatment, as you’ll be responsible for any additional costs not covered by your insurance. Therefore, it is important that you get authorisation from your insurer for any tests and treatments. Some insurance companies may give you a pre-authorisation reference. If you are given one, please bring it with you each time you visit us.

 How are my bills paid?

For most patients, treatment costs are based on pre-agreed prices with your insurer and payment will be made direct by your insurance company. We charge for our hospital services such as nursing, use of our facilities, medical consumables, etc. Our consultants – surgeons, anaesthetists, and physicians – charge independently for their time and expertise.

To make things easier for you, we have direct settlement arrangements with the major UK insurance companies. Your insurer will normally settle your bills from your consultants and us directly. In order to do this, we’ll need to know:

• your insurer
• your registration number
• your scale/level of cover
• your scheme details if you are insured under a company scheme
• your pre-authorisation number for your treatment.

Excesses and balances not covered by private health insurance

If you do not have sufficient cover or if there is an excess on your policy, your insurer will advise you of the outstanding payment due to the hospital. They will also notify us of your excess/out of cover charges and we will send an invoice to you advising of the balance that needs to be paid.

Obtain a referral from your GP

Simply visit your GP and ask them to refer you to a consultant who practises at St Hugh’s Hospital. Your GP will write a letter of referral and then either you or your GP can contact us to arrange your first appointment.

Once you and your consultant have agreed on the treatment needed, we will arrange further diagnostic tests or a possible surgical admission at a time that suits you. You will need to get authorisation from your insurer if they are paying for your treatment.