Mater hospital eye dept

horse7

Be aware the mater eye a&e are sending out bills for attending a&e for regular patients of the eye clinic. You cannot begin attending the day clinic unless you are first seen to in the a&e eye dept,which is understandable. But while attending the day clinic you are told if you have a problem with eye,to go straight to the eye a&e department to access treatment and because you are still being treated by the day clinic you are not required to pay again for a&e treatment. The mater are now requesting another payment even though you are a day clinic patient. Regular day clinic patients are not being informed until an invoice arrives in the post. When they present at a&e they are not asked for payment as it is explained they are day clinic patients. Is anyone aware of this. Are there any groups or organization who people can turn to for advice.

Paulw

Have you tried contacting the hospital and asking them about the situation?

horse7

Paulw wrote: »

Have you tried contacting the hospital and asking them about the situation?

Hospital contacted, they say they are new rules,

slimjimmc

Anyone who attends day clinics without a doctor's referral is charged a ED fee (unless you're in one of the exempted groups).
http://www.mater.ie/patients/emergency-services/eye/
http://www.mater.ie/patients/patient-charges/ed-charges/

If you have a referral the the day case fee applies
http://www.mater.ie/patients/patient-charges/patient-charges/

horse7

You may not understand what it is I'm saying, yes you need a gp referral letter,but you do not keep going back to get a gp referral letter to attend again for the same condition. Especially when told by your day clinic not to waste your time going to a gp and to go straight to the eye casualty.

slimjimmc

I suggest you ask the hospital to explain in more detail how they arrived at the bill.

horse7

slimjimmc wrote: »

I suggest you ask the hospital to explain in more detail how they arrived at the bill.

Awaiting email

horse7

horse7 wrote: »

Awaiting email

Thanks for your help PS are there any groups or forums out there to assist public patients with queries?

horse7

Am still waiting for a reply to my letter and email about this.

denseretard

to cut a very very long story short.

I was a patient at the Mater Eye department.

I initially got a referral from my gp to eye casualty[my mother paid] . Ever since I saw consultant as out patient. once or twice I went to eye casualty which I didn't have to pay anything for.

Thankfully I haven't needed to go to the eye casualty in approx 4 years or consultant in 18 months. I was always told if needed I could go back. It will hopefully be years before I need to see consultant and I hopefully will never need to go to the eye casualty again but.

how much will i be charged if I need to go to eye casualty again [i would get gp referal]? I do have a medical card

horse7

In reply to your question ,read the initial post. As an update,a letter was sent in september to the accounts department in October 7 a reply was received to say they were looking into it. This is mid November and apparently they are still looking into it.

horse7

Update to mater eye dept, there is no update,the eye Dept are still looking into it.