Fees apply for new consultations, follow-up consultations, and there are additional fees for specialist outpatient investigations. We aim to provide a “one-stop” clinic service for many conditions and perform minor procedures or investigations during your first appointment: saving you both time and expense of repeat visits.
The Nuffield Health Exeter hospital will levy a separate fee to cover equipment charges for any procedures undertaken and this is invoiced separately from the consultation fee.
Patients are responsible for settling all fees personally although in many cases we are able to arrange for the invoice to be settled directly by your insurance company. If you have medical insurance you are strongly advised to seek prior approval from your insurance company for the referral, and it is helpful to bring your insurance details and any authorisation code/number to your first appointment.
List of common fees applicable:
Fixed price new consultation fee: £250
Fixed price follow-up consultation: £130
*consultation fees are settled through an independent agent, “Patient Billing” (https://www.patientbilling.co.uk) who will contact you within a few days of your appointment
** patients will incur additional equipment charges from the Nuffield if any procedures are undertaken during the consultation.
Examples of additional procedure costs;
Ear Microsuction: £71
Nasal, laryngeal and pharyngeal endoscopy: £101
Fees may vary due to individual agreements between consultants and insurance companies. Typically, the fees are as shown below:
New consultation appointment: £180
Follow up consultation: £110
Endoscopy, microsuction and hearing tests (audiometry) all attract additional consultation and equipment charges that vary across insurance companies and are subject to national agreement between insurers and Nuffield Health hospitals. Your own policy will indicate whether you may be liable for an excess on these charges.
A microsuction service is provided on a fixed price basis for patients who need regular microsuction, or a one-off visit. The procedure is performed using delicate suction equipment and high-power optical microscope for maximum safety and comfort. Microsuction is the ‘gold standard’ treatment for ear clearance. This is a 15 minute appointment. It is solely a procedural appointment for microsuction.
(Please do not book a microsuction appointment if you need a more detailed assessment of ear related ENT symptoms such as dizziness, tinnitus, pain or sinus symptoms. These symptoms need more detailed clinical assessment and will need to be booked into a standard 30-minute appointment.)
Self-paying patients are not committed to continuing all future care in the private system. At any stage during the care pathway you may decide to transfer care to the NHS for ongoing care should you nominate to do so and we can liaise with your GP about re-referral. Once your care is transferred to the NHS your care will be given the same priority on outpatient and surgical waiting lists as other NHS patients. You should be aware that NHS care provided under the name of a consultant may be delivered by non-consultant grade doctors working as part of that consultant team. We are unable to guarantee that your ongoing care will be delivered by the consultant personally if your care is transferred.
Insurance companies all provide different levels of reimbursement for consultation and procedures. Our fee structure is based on the WPA insurance schedule. We expect to be transparent with our fees and are happy to provide clarification before your appointment. You should check reimbursement rates with your insurance company to establish whether there will be an excess to settle personally.
Costs of surgery vary considerably depending on procedure.
If your condition needs an operation, we can advise you of the fees in advance. In most cases insurance companies will provide separate authorisation for surgery from your original consultation reference.
If you are funding the cost of surgery yourself, we can offer ‘fixed price’ packages for surgery in conjunction with Nuffield Health.
To book a consultation call us on 01392 262160 or get in touch online.
Insurance company fees and ‘recommended’ consultants
Some of the larger health insurance companies promote consultants as ‘preferred’, ‘authorised’ or ‘recommended’ consultant partners. Some people mistakenly believe this relates to a quality rating.
The General Medical Council and the College of Surgeons are the only authorities who regulate and monitor professional practice standards. Insurance companies recommend consultants on the basis of commercial pricing agreements, not on quality.
The choice of which consultant you see is an important decision. Price is only one factor and rarely the most important. People commonly seek a personal recommendation from family, friends or their GP. Insurance companies will usually only mention the name of consultants with whom they have signed fee-agreement contracts and at times evenly actively discourage you from seeing non-fee assured consultants.
Some of us have fee-assured arrangements with companies. Others set standard fee for all consultations. Either way we strive to offer a transparent fee structure for our services. There may be a small excess to pay which isn’t covered by your insurance company, as for many other types of insurance claim. You can establish this in advance by asking what your insurance company will reimburse and comparing it against our fee structure. We believe our primary relationship is with our patients, and that insurance companies should support rather than dictate your choice of consultant.
To book a consultation call us on 01392 262160 or get in touch online.
