How to secure affordable private hospital treatment in London
If anyone were considering private health treatment, HCA, the Hospital Corporation of America, is the largest private hospital group in the world, and one of the six HCA London private hospitals could be a consumer's optimal choice. While the NHS is beset by concerns over the quality of its care, 98.5 percent of HCA patients were prepared to recommend the company.
Private health treatment by a leading specialist employing the most up-to-date technology could be cheaper than expected, even though London is often said to be expensive for private services in hospitals. There are two particular ways to make private London hospitals affordable.
Firstly, fixed-price surgery schemes are available for people without health insurance. Most operations are available and age is not a consideration, and treatment overseas is possible. Medical insurance usually involves high premiums, restrictions of claims and unnecessary coverage, making the fixed price option cheaper, although it is something of a gamble. Some people, however, will not have a choice. A fixed price is inadvisable for patients at increased risk of post-surgery complications.
Packages will include the cost of a procedure, accommodation and travel for both the patient and a companion and a follow-up appointment. The price might include surgeons' and anaesthetists' fees, but it is prudent to check beforehand. Sometimes, the cost of any resultant complications that occur within 30 days of a procedure will be covered. It is possible to reduce costs further by sharing accommodation. Two employers to recently reach fixed price arrangements to control costs were Wal Mart and Boeing.
Another way to reduce the cost of healthcare would be open referrals where an insurance company decides on a patient's hospital and specialist. While relatively new to the United Kingdom, the phenomenon is well-established in other markets such as the United States. The cost of treatment could be lowered by avoiding higher consultant fees, although the site may be further from the patient. In 2011, only 10 percent of GP referrals took this form, but M&L Healthcare Solutions, a company that provides advice to consumers seeking affordable healthcare, said that open referrals could become the norm. In 2012, BUPA revealed that 80 percent of new and renewing clients were choosing open referrals.
BUPA, the most vocal supporter of open referrals, claims that it increases the choices available to consumers and can be used to control quality, while AXA PPP is more candid, admitting that it “tackles costs and ensures financial sustainability.” BUPA reported that the savings returned would probably be a two-digit number after two or three years, while PruHealth said there would be a 15 percent saving.
Consumers could fear that they are being sent to younger consultants who are less experienced, but Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald, previously the managing director of BUPA Health and Wellbeing UK, said that the average ages of both fee-assured and non-fee-assured consultants was 50. She added that consumers preferred BUPA to choose a consultant as it was privy to more information regarding the quality of consultants and hospitals. A recent study by the Office of Fair Trading found that GPs often refer patients to consultants without reviewing quality data.
As can be seen, while the cost of private healthcare can be daunting, there are ways to reduce it.