I too get considerably agitated by similar practices concerning
pre-employment or workplace drug testing. We receive a signficant number
of requests for such tests, either direct from GPs or via hospital
laboratories, and to my mind it is an abuse of NHS funds to carry out
such tests. If the work originates from outside our SHA, we are able to
send an invoice - which then may or may not be passed on to the
patient/firm. However, if the request originates from within our SHA,
and we have not been informed of the purpose, then no invoice is sent
and the test is effectively paid for by the NHS.
Kind regards
David
David Gerrie BSc DipMedTox SRCS
Senior Clinical and Forensic Toxicologist
Medical Toxicology Laboratory
4th Floor
North Wing
St Thomas' Hospital
London
SE1 7EH
Telephone: 020 7188 8686
Website: www.gsts.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mainwaring-Burton
Richard (SOUTH LONDON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST)
Sent: 28 June 2011 13:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Anti-mullerian hormone
This is another of my hobby-horses.
To my mind this is close to fraud and I have previously contacted the
NHS fraud squad about it but have not yet heard back.
We also get requests via the same route, and I have pursued the request
route on several samples now with the approval, and even collusion of
the GPs in question. I have quite a dossier of examples.
My main beef is with the private clinics since they seem to give the
client the impression, sometimes quite explicitly, that they can get the
tests done by the GP. The worst case I came across offered the tests
free if the GP could not do them since the client was donating eggs.
(see attached)
I accept that it may be up to my bit of the NHS to get it's act together
in terms of providing such tests for private patients, and indeed this
might be a reasonable source of income, but I feel that the onus is on
the referring clinics to treat their NHS colleagues fairly, and not to
hoodwink the GPs. There is no doubt that it would be in everybody's
interest to have all the results in the same place, and it is an
unnecessary, and no doubt unfunded, burden on the GP to have to collate
all the multitude of results for the clinic.
I have even spoken to the 'requesting' consultant at one of the private
clinics, whose name appeared at the top of the list of tests which
included the cost if done in-house for the client's comparison, and was
informed that it is being done "all the time".
If you feel the same, or have seen such, this is cc:ed to the relevant
authority.
with best wishes
Richard
Richard Mainwaring-Burton
Consultant Biochemist
South London Healthcare Trust
Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich
Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough
020-8863-5724
020-8308-3084
mob: 07831-739876
________________________________________
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list
[[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Louise Tilbrook
[[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 28 June 2011 12:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Anti-mullerian hormone
We are receiving an increasing number of requests from AMH via GPs from
patients undergoing private fertility work. Obviously we are not funded
to undertake such work but in the past, there has been the odd time when
we have forwarded a specimen for AMH to a private lab and invoiced the
patient directly.
I am not very comfortable with this approach for a number of reasons
(not least the logistics involved in chasing individual patients for
payment) and I wondered what approach list members took with requests
such as this. Whilst the natural response is to want to help and
accomodate such requests I wonder whether it would be more sensible just
to inform GPs that we are not able to help with such requests and that
the patient must contact the clinic for advice and assistance?
I would be happy to collate responses - many thanks in advance
Louise Tilbrook
Principal Clinical Scientist
Dept of Clinical Biochemistry
Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust
Chelmsford
CM1 7ET
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