How to Pay
Information for patients with medical insurance
Please check with your insurance company:
- That you are fully covered for the intended procedure and
anticipated length of stay before your treatment commences. Your
insurance company will tell you if there are any aspects of your
care/treatment, which they will not pay for. Please make sure that
you are aware of any excess payments, exclusions or shortfalls on
your policy.
- If preauthorisation is required - it is the responsibility of
the patient to clarify this prior to admission. If there is any
shortfall you will be liable for the full cost of the treatment.
Please bring your claim form with you.
On admission you will be given the ‘Undertaking to pay’ form to
read and sign. This form states that should your insurance company
refuse to pay for treatment of any kind or an extended length of stay
is required then you be liable to pay all hospital and consultant
charges. It is therefore necessary for you to check with your
insurance company prior to your admission that you are covered to stay
on Coombe Wing.
The hospital account will be raised after your discharge and sent
to your insurance company provided we have received a completed claim
form from you. It essential that you do this as patients who do not
submit their claim forms will be liable to pay the hospital’s account
personally in full at the standard tariff rate.
You will receive an invoice for sundries e.g. telephone calls,
visitor’s meals etc. and this should be settled before your discharge.
Your consultant surgeon/anaesthetist or physician will send a
separate invoice to you where applicable. This should be forwarded to
your insurance company for payment.
Information for patients who do not have medical insurance
Fixed cost surgery packages - this scheme has been designed for
people who do not have private medical insurance and means that they
know exactly how much their treatment is going to cost - there are no
hidden extras. You will be offered a fixed cost surgery package
following an assessment by a nurse and from information supplied by
your consultant. Coombe Wing reserves the right not to offer a fixed
cost surgery package for any reason. If you wish to have a quote for
fixed cost surgery please contact the Customer Service helpline on
020 8934 3936 or e-mail us at
coombewing@kingstonhospital.nhs.uk.
Self-funding patients - patients who choose not to have a fixed
cost surgery package or are not undergoing surgery may pay for their
treatment as a self funding patient. A deposit will be required to be
paid on admission, which is equal to the full amount stated in the
estimate. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Kingston Hospital NHS
Trust’ and presented on admission to Coombe Wing. This is based on the
likely treatment charge for the specified procedure and includes:
- Accommodation per day/night for the estimated length of stay -
this can vary according to the nature of the intended procedure and
each patient’s needs. Any reduction in length of stay on an estimate
will be credited when the final bill is presented. Any extra nights
will be charged at the standard tariff rate on which the estimate is
based.
- Estimated cost of treatment - this includes theatre fees, tests,
investigations and physiotherapy etc. based on the usual charges
associated with the planned procedure. It does not include any
prosthesis costs or the consultants’ professional fees, as these are
extra. Any other charges above the estimated price given will be
invoiced after discharge for full payment.
Any over payment on the estimate once all charges for the inpatient
episode are know will be credited to your account.
Should you have any queries about any of the above services please
contact Customer Services on 020 8934 3936.
Payment arrangements
Insured patients - you are responsible for checking your
level of cover and for paying any costs not covered by the insurers.
The hospital will invoice insurance companies direct, to relieve you
of the worry. However, copies of the invoices can be provided for your
records on request. Hospital charges and specialists’ fees are
normally charged separately. It is strongly recommended that you seek
preauthorisation from your insurance company before admission. The
administration team can give help and advice on this.
Fixed cost surgery - the quote normally includes all
services while an inpatient and in most cases includes the specialist
fees but it is advisable to check what is included in the package. The
only other expense you are likely to incur are sundries such as a
telephone call, visitors’ meals etc. You will be asked to pay the full
cost of the fixed cost surgery package on admission by building
society cheque, banker’s draft or credit card.
Self-funding patients - many patients elect to pay for
themselves and this is usually done by building society cheque,
banker’s draft or credit card. You will be asked for staged payments
or a payment on admission to cover the estimated total cost. For most
surgery, the most economical way to pay is often by a fixed-cost
package, which enables you to know the total cost at the start of your
course of treatment. |
