The NHS benefits when patients use their medical insurance
NHS budgets are under pressure from the ever increasing demand
for hospital services. Many Primary Care Trusts are reporting
significant financial concerns, with cost controls likely to
tighten further when public sector spending is reviewed after the
2010 election.
In the meantime a significant proportion of privately insured
patients are still being admitted or referred to NHS facilities
where they are using precious resources and further increasing
pressures on public hospital services.
GPs are sometimes not aware that their patients have private
insurance or that they may be willing to pay for a health service.
Patients are very much influenced by the GP’s advice of the best
place for them to receive care and in some cases the GP may not be
familiar with the processes for booking private patients into an
independent sector facility.
Each time a patient is treated outside of the NHS it frees up
funds for others who are waiting for services. It is important that
all GPs actively seek out information on their patients’ insurance
status and understand the treatment options that are available in
the community.
Ensuring ease of access for patients with private insurance to
private hospitals is an important area for the independent
healthcare sector, and something they need to work closely with GPs
on. By offering all patients the choice of the independent sector
whenever a referral is made, GPs can save public money and ease
pressure on NHS waiting times.
To maximise the potential advantages to the NHS in enabling
insured patients to access the private sector, independent
healthcare group Ramsay Health Care has launched a unique service
package for private patients. Premium Care is available to all
patients using private medical insurance or funding their own
treatment, and aims to set the standard for private healthcare.
Jill Watts, Ramsay’s UK Chief Executive Officer, explains the
drive behind the product: “Private patients naturally expect good
value for money. We believe that Premium Care will encourage
patients who have private medical insurance to ask their doctor for
a referral to a Ramsay hospital.”
The Premium Care package focuses on the areas that patients feel
are the most important. These include:
- Early access to a private hospital for diagnosis and
treatment
- Choice of Consultant, who will deliver the service
personally
- Choice of appointment
- Single room with en-suite facilities (where clinically
appropriate)
- Premium Care accommodation and menus
- Premium Care gift
- Free car parking, free television and newspaper
“Every patient coming to a Ramsay hospital, whether private or
NHS, receives an excellent standard of clinical and customer care,
a friendly local service, low infection rates, and waiting times
often shorter than the national NHS guidelines,” Jill continues.
“But with Premium Care, patients with private medical insurance can
go that step further.”