Fixed-price packages and private healthcare
15/08/2009
Private medical insurance policyholders wishing to have private treatment can take advantage of the availability of fixed-price packages in the private healthcare market. Fixed-price packages are offered by private hospitals to individuals buying treatment with their own money or through private insurance.
How do Fixed-Price Packages work?
Fixed-price packages are available throughout private hospitals in the UK and help people budget for their treatment.
The packages normally include:
- the consultant surgeon/physician and anaesthetist fees
- hospital charges relating to the use of the operating theatre
- hospital accommodation, personal meals, drugs and dressings
- in-patient investigations such as x-rays
- in-patient physiotherapy
- the cost of any complications occurring within 30 days of your procedure where these relate to the original condition
Tailor-made treatment
Fixed-price packages can also be tailored to reflect your own preferences. For example, you might wish to pay more to have your own room or alternatively you might wish to reduce the cost by sharing accommodation.
As the cost of fixed-price packages are quoted in advance of treatment you will easily be able to shop around.
Treatment sourcing
You can either arrange your fixed-price package yourself or some private healthcare insurance providers will offer a service to help you source treatment, This service will help you find treatment to suit your needs and can often even organise care down to such detail as the admission time and date. The service staff will act on your instructions: so they can either arrange a package with the specialist you have already seen at your local hospital or, if you prefer, can shop around for care with specialists at other hospitals.
Patient Choice provides cost-effective private medical insurance policies for individuals and businesses in the UK. For more information visit the Patient Choice website.
