GPs say they can charge medical card patients

[Posted: Wed 23/03/2011 by Niall Hunter, Editor www.irishhealth.com]

Some GPs have started charging medical card patients for blood tests and some other services they say are not covered under their HSE contracts.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has said doctors are not obliged to provide these services free of charge to medical card patients under their contracts with the State, although most of them do so provide them free.

The IMO points out that GPs do not receive specific fees from the HSE for many services such as doing blood tests.

IMO Vice President Dr Ronan Boland told irishhealth.com that based on legal advice, it has told members that they are not contractually obliged to provide this type of 'pro bono' work.

Dr Boland said this type of work, such as taking blood tests, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, 'well-man' and 'well-woman' care and filling out forms for things like driving test medicals had increased substantially in recent years.

Against this background, GPs had recently had three significant fee cuts imposed on them by the Government.

This had had an impact on practice resources, Dr Boland said, and as a result, for example, many GPs would have had to cut back on practice nursing staff hours. This in turn impacted on their ability to provide services such as blood testing free of charge.

Dr Boland said the IMO, while it had pointed out to members what their legal obligatitons were under the contracts, could not specifically tell GPs to charge medical card patients. This, he said, was left up to individual GPs.

However, there have been reports that some GPs have started charging for blood tests and other services.

The HSE, however, has said routine blood tests are regarded as part of the normal work of GPs under their medical card contracts and medical card patients should not be charged.

Dr Boland, however, said the IMO would not share the HSE's view on this.

He said the IMO was stressing that blood tests continued to be available free of charge from hospitals. Everyone regardless of income is currently entitled to free blood tests from hospitals.

super simon  Posted: 25/03/2011 22:14

whats so unusual about doctors wanting to charge medical card holders? are they not the head of the professional classes wanting more for less or to put it another way, the greed parade.

Cynic  Posted: 25/03/2011 22:26

So much for the so called caring profession, kick the poor when they are down. These fasting bloods are a nice little earner all the same, I was told to come back  fasting on several occasions for bloods for what? only to be relieved of a kings ransom for same. In France I am told a GP visit costs only €20 what is it with Irish GP's. My husband was asked for his VHI number by our company doctor for a GP procedure even though my husband is entitled to free medical care. This was the same Dr who referred me to a public infertility clinic when I was suffering from Endo even though I had said I had the VHI. He said he didn't remember, by god he had no problem remembring  when it came to billing the VHI for my husbands supposedly free care.

Rowanda  Posted: 25/03/2011 22:53

I feel sorry for the poor GP's it's hard to earn a crust in the current economic climate.  With so many out of work, losing their jobs & homes, struggling to feed their family. Perhaps a notice stating "We charge Medical Card Holders" in the window would save any embarrassment.

Anonymous  Posted: 28/03/2011 17:22

Rowanda, I presume your comment was in irony. The IMO points out that GPs do not receive specific fees from the HSE for many services such as doing blood tests. What on earth do they want specific fees for this ? - Since when was it not part their normal brief?

super simon  Posted: 01/04/2011 20:07

I always pay for my blood test.  I am very happy to have medical card, no problem giving 20 euro for blood test. It saves lots of time getting to local hospital

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