Clinicians told to clarify costs
Private consultants have been asked by the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS) to take the greatest care to ensure they explain to patients likely costs and who will pay them.
The plea came after a woman contacted the Patients Association for help after receiving a private hospital bill she could not afford for a scan she thought was being done as an NHS patient.
Sally Taber
ISCAS director Sally Taber said: ‘Before the event, the patient is believed to have understood very clearly from the specialist that the cost would fall to the NHS, as might be expected.
‘Somewhere in the system a misunderstanding occurred and the patient was billed for the imaging, understandably causing the patient anxiety and stress.’
