How to pay for your treatment
Paying for yourself
Did you know you don’t need private medical insurance to come to St John & St Elizabeth Hospital? As a self-pay patient, you can access safe, outstanding quality health care at times that suit you.
For scans and tests, as well as to see most consultants, you’ll still need to be referred by a medical professional like your GP, but as a self-pay patient, the process is more straightforward. You won’t need authorisation from an insurance provider, and you’ll have a greater choice of consultants and appointment times.
Some of our private self-pay services including Private GP and Physiotherapy can be booked without the need for a referral. Our contact centre team will let you know if you need a referral or not when you book an appointment.
Here’s how to book a self-pay appointment and get fast access to treatments:
Get in touch with our contact centre
You can call or email our enquiries team who will give you all the information you need about our available treatments, prices, consultants and appointment times.
We can also provide you with a written guide price if you know which procedure you are likely to need. We can also tell you if you need a GP referral in order to be seen at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital.
Arrange a consultation
Our contact centre team can book you an appointment with one of our experienced consultants at a time that suits you. There are no waiting lists, and you can often see a consultant in as little as 24 hours. Initial consultation fees vary depending on which consultant you see. Our team can tell you what each consultant charges before you book. You will pay this to the consultant’s secretary directly, either before or after your appointment.
Outpatient treatments, scans and tests
Your consultant may recommend a scan, test or treatment. Our team will guide you through booking these on the day. It might be possible for you to have a treatment, scan or test immediately. Please be aware that scans, tests and treatments carried out during your consultation will incur additional charges. Your consultant will charge a fee for their expertise separately and the hospital will charge for use of nursing, equipment and facilities. Our team will give you the price for your scan or test. Some consultants may wish to see you again to discuss your results. This will incur an additional charge paid directly to your consultant.
Book your treatment
Once your consultant has recommended a specific treatment, you can get in touch with our contact centre team who can provide you with the price for your treatment and answer any further questions you may have about coming to St John & St Elizabeth Hospital. If your consultant’s medical secretary requests a price on your behalf, we will write to you with your quote. Your price is not final until after you have had your pre-admission assessment, which may pick up additional clinical needs that can alter the price of your procedure. If this does happen, we will write to you with a final fixed price. Your price will include everything from your pre-admission assessment through to your post-op follow up and any physiotherapy (if required). From this point on, you will be covered under our fixed-price guarantee, which means that all costs associated with your procedure are covered.
Pay for your treatment
You will be sent details of how to pay for your procedure. We accept payment by cheque, online bank transfer, credit/debit card or via our online payment system. We ask for funds to be cleared 3 days before your admission. For payments & billing, you can call our team on 020 7806 4058
Follow-up consultation
If your consultant recommends a post-op follow-up appointment after your inpatient procedure, the fee will be included in your fixed price. If your consultant recommends subsequent follow-up appointments, these will normally be charged at the consultant’s usual follow-up fee.
Physical therapy
For some procedures such as hip and knee replacements, it is recommended that you have physiotherapy sessions for several weeks after your procedure. Your fixed price will include the cost of your sessions.
Using your private medical insurance
St John & St Elizabeth Hospital is approved by all major medical insurance companies. If you have a personal private health insurance policy, or your company provide it for you, you can use it to pay for your care from your initial consultation through to treatment, surgery and aftercare such as physiotherapy. Not all private health insurance plans cover the same things. It’s very important to check exactly what you are covered for with your insurance provider.
Here’s how to use your private health insurance to make a medical claim and get fast access to treatments:
Get a GP referral
To claim through your private medical insurance, you will most likely need a referral from your GP or other health professional. There are some instances where your insurance company might let you self-refer for treatment such as physiotherapy. You’ll need to check that with your insurer directly. If you’d rather not wait for an appointment with your GP, you can see a private GP at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital to speed up the referral process. It’s also important to check with your insurer that they will approve your appointment at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital specifically.
Book your appointment
Once you have your referral from your GP, you can call or email our contact centre, who will give you all the information you need about our available services, treatments, consultants and appointment times.
Contact your insurance company
Our team will give you all the information you need for your insurance company to provide you with an authorisation code. It is important to contact your medical insurance provider to make sure that your possible treatment is covered by your policy. Your provider will be able to discuss your policy with you and help you understand if there are any limits or excesses on your policy you need to be aware of. In some circumstances, our team may be able to speak to your insurer on your behalf if you have any issues with the details of your appointment.
Get your authorisation code
We’ll need to get your authorisation code to make sure the appointment is covered by your insurance provider. You can call our team or bring it with you on the day of your appointment.
If there are excess charges
We’ll ask you to swipe your credit card when you arrive at reception and complete a registration form. This is to cover any insurance excess or shortfall your insurer is not liable to pay for. Your details will be kept securely, and we will notify you in advance if it’s necessary to charge the card.
Payment FAQs
If you are self-funding you do not have to wait to make an appointment with one of our specialists today. We offer competitive rates for the services available and have renowned Consultants consulting and operating at the Hospital.
Consultation
If you are coming in for a consultation, this fee is set by your Consultant. Please contact your Consultant’s office and they will be able to advise you how much the initial consultation will cost. All Consultant fees are to be settled directly with their office and are separate from the Hospital.
Outpatient and diagnostics
To help the Consultant find a diagnosis or investigate your symptoms further, they may refer you for additional testing. You may be asked to undertake a test or investigation in the outpatients department which will incur a fee from both the Hospital and the Consultant. Before undertaking any episode of treatment, you can speak to the Cashiers and they can assist you in providing an estimate for treatment.
If you are referred for other diagnostic services such as imaging, cardiology, physiotherapy, pathology and respiratory you can also obtain an estimate for the treatment you have been asked to undertake from the department.
Please note, the Hospital fees are payable on the day of your treatment. We accept cash and all major credit and debit cards except Diner’s card.
Once your consultation/treatment and or investigation(s) are completed, we ask that you return to the Registration & Cashiers desk where your account will be settled. Should there be any payments that are not recouped on the day of your appointment, an invoice will be sent to you for settlement.
Inpatient/ day case
You can obtain an estimate for treatment for any surgical procedure from our admissions department. They will be able to assist you with any queries you may have.
Depending on the outcome of the consultation, there are two types of packages available for surgery.
We have launched our fixed price packages recently for a number of common procedures. These include Consultant, anaesthetic and Hospital fees.
If this is not suitable for you, we have our deposit prices where individual prices can be tailor-made for the procedure you are going to undertake.
Please note, all surgery fees are payable in advance of your admission. You can make payment by contacting either the admissions department or credit control department.
Payment of a deposit is required for your treatment based on an estimated cost of your treatment. We endeavour to estimate your treatment cost as close as possible to the actual cost. However, your estimated cost will not include certain items such as personal expenses (telephone, guest meals etc), additional procedure or investigations. These exclusions will clearly be indicated in our letter of admission confirmation.
If we over-estimate your treatment cost, a refund will be issued to you shortly after your discharge from Hospital.
If your deposit proves to be insufficient to cover the actual cost of your treatment a bill will be sent to you to settle.
While you are an inpatient we may ask you to top up your deposit if we identify that additional treatment has been necessary and the deposit appears unlikely to be adequate.
If you are insured we advise that you contact your medical insurance company as soon as possible to obtain authorisation. Most insurance companies will require a referral letter from your GP to authorise any further treatment. If you require any further treatment following on from your consultation, whether it be in an outpatient or inpatient setting you will need to keep your insurance company informed every step of the way to check on coverage. Insurance policies vary and not all treatment is covered which is dependent on the level of cover you have taken out.
Outpatient
If you are coming for a consultation you will need to undertake the following steps –
- Contact your GP to get a referral letter to a specialist.
- Call your insurance company and advise that your GP has referred you for treatment. You may have to send in a copy of this referral letter to your insurance company. You will need to advise them of the Consultant whom you are coming to see. If you require assistance in finding a specialist you can either look at our online Consultant directory or call our Outpatients department who will assist you.
- Once your treatment has been approved, your insurance company will issue you with an authorisation number or a letter of guarantee. Please bring this with you to all visits at the Hospital.
In some instances you may need to complete a claim form after your appointment. You will need to liaise with your GP and Consultant for the completion of this form.
If an authorisation number is not available, we will ask you to personally settle your account and reclaim the cost of care from your insurer.
If there is any shortfall on your account following settlement from the insurance company; you will be invoiced either from your insurance company or via the Hospital’s account department.
Inpatient/ day case
If you are required to undergo a surgical procedure, you will need to speak to your insurance company to confirm authorisation. They will ask you for details of the operation that will include length of stay and also the type of treatment. Your consultant will issue you with a CCSD code which you will need to give to your insurers. The CCSD schedule assigns a code to every type of surgery and is recognised by all insurance companies. Please contact your Consultant’s office if you require any further information.
You are required to contact your insurer before you are admitted to the hospital to establish your level of cover including hospital coverage as conditions and level of cover vary.
Your admission booking cannot be confirmed without an authorisation from your insurer. No authorisation means you will have to pay for your treatment and as such will be required to pay a deposit.(see paying your own bill)
The Hospital has an agreement with all the major insurance companies. Bills for authorised treatment will be sent to your insurer for settlement.
You are responsible for any charges that may be declined by your insurer.
Your Consultant or GP may be required to complete a form which you must obtain from your insurance company.
Please note that some items such as telephone calls, take home medication, physiotherapy or visitor refreshments may not be covered by your insurer. You will be invoiced for these items directly by our accounts department.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our admissions department.
Important notes
While the Hospital may invoice your insurance company or sponsor directly, it is your responsibility to ensure that claims are processed promptly. Should you have any questions relating to the payment of your account, let us know and we will get an appropriate person to answer your queries.
Sponsor paying your bill
The hospital can only accept UK based companies for sponsorship. Most Embassies are accepted as sponsors. You should therefore ensure that your sponsorship has been accepted before your admission/treatment otherwise you will be treated as a self paying patient. If you require an interpreter you will need to arrange one yourself or via your sponsoring body. If you need any assistance, our admissions team will be able to provide you with a contact number.
Outpatient
The Hospital has direct settlement arrangements with some organisations that may be paying the cost of your treatment. In these cases a letter of guarantee must be presented to the Cashiers.
Such guarantee letters must clearly indicate level of financial cover the firm is accepting and patient’s responsibility if any.
If such letter is not produced at the time of your treatment you will have to pay the cost before you leave the hospital.
If we are notified of any shortfalls in your treatment, our accounts department will invoice you directly for payment.
Inpatient/ day case
If a sponsoring organisation is paying for your treatment you should send in a letter from the sponsoring organisation that clearly states your level of cover in advance of your admission to avoid any inconvenience on your admission day.
If such letter is not received before admission you will be asked to settle your own account (see paying your own bill).
You are responsible for any charges your sponsor does not settle.
Important notes
While the Hospital may invoice your insurance company or sponsor directly, it is your responsibility to ensure that claims are processed promptly. Should you have any questions relating to the payment of your account, let us know and we will get an appropriate person to answer your queries.
You can make a payment to the Hospital in the following ways:
Payment by credit/debit card
- Via our Secure Payment Line
- Call our 24 hour automated payment line on 0330 008 2189 to make a secure payment with a credit or debit card by phone.
- Please have your Patient Number or Invoice Number and card details ready to quote.
- The Hospital accepts all the major credit/debit cards such as Amex, Visa, Mastercard or Switch. Please note we do not accept Diner’s Card.
Payment online:
- Pay by credit or debit card on our secure portal https://hje.mysecurepay.co.uk
Payment by cheque
- Cheques should be made payable to Hospital of St. John & St. Elizabeth and must be received 10 days in advance of your inpatient admission.
- Cheques payment will be accepted to pay for your Outpatients consultation and treatment on the day of your appointment.
- If you are paying a deposit within less than seven days of your admission you must pay by bankers draft cheque.
Paying by bank transfer
- Quote our sort code 20-00-00 and our bank account number 53925943 and your patient or invoice number. Payments can take up to three working days to reach us, we also accept Faster Payments.
- If you are making a payment via bank transfer from abroad, our bank details can be obtained from our admissions office (0203 370 1002) or from the Hospital Cashier (0330 008 2189).
The Hospital endeavours to make your bill as understandable as possible.
Hospital fees: outpatient
- Where possible, we will try to put all charges of the various departments you have visited on the day of your treatment on one bill. Otherwise you will have separate bills for each department with a list of treatments you have had on the day.
Hospital fees: day case
- Every treatment you have had will be listed and costed. The Nursing and Accommodation charge is costed per hour based on how long you have stayed. The number of hours you have stayed will be shown on your bill as a quantity.
- There will be additional nursing charges if your stay exceeds the agreed duration – normally 5 hours. This is measured by the hour.
- Any miscellaneous items such as telephone or catering services will be listed individually along with their prices.
- Should you require explanation of charges on your bill, you can contact Daycase Billing on 020 7806 4055.
Hospital fees: inpatient
- Every treatment you have had will be listed and costed. The Nursing and Accommodation charge is entered once showing charging date as admission date and quantity the duration of your stay.
- Any miscellaneous items such as telephone or catering services will be listed individually along with their prices.
- Your charges are listed in date order. While you are an inpatient we may provide you with an interim bill if you ask us to do so.
- Should you require explanation of charges on your bill, you can contact the Inpatient Billing Manager on 020 7806 4055.
Medical fees
- Every treatment you have had will be listed and costed. The Nursing and Accommodation charge is entered once showing charging date as admission date and quantity the duration of your stay.
- Consultants are not employed by the hospital and therefore their fees are not normally included in the Hospital’s account.
- If you are insured and your Consultant requested your medical fees to be included in the hospital account we will do so. Such fees are shown separately on your bill.
- If you have any concerns on your medical fees you need to speak to your Consultant.
Where your money goes
Your treatment with St John & St Elizabeth Hospital makes a difference to someone’s life. Every patient, every appointment, every treatment carried out at our Hospital helps us to fund our on-site Hospice. St John’s Hospice provides palliative and respite care to more than 4000 patients and their families every year, for free. The Hospice continues to support bereaved families whose loved one received treatment with us once they’re gone.
Without our patients it wouldn’t be possible to support the vital services that St John’s Hospice offers.