A patient cannot be both private and NHS for the same episode of care. The patient may choose to revert to NHS for care at any time, but should then remain a NHS patient until the episode is completed. If this patient was discharged back to the care of the GP with recommendations for tests, that case might be argued. However, if the Consultant is going to continue to manage the patient for the same condition on the basis of the GP's tests, I would argue they are part of the same episode of care and therefore deemed private. What you imply is regrettably common and bad professional practice by some clinicians.
Apart from that, the fee for your report may be greater than the charge for providing a copy of the laboratory's results.
Regards,
Jeff Davies
>>> "Taylor, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]> 09/23/02 03:17pm >>>
The subject of tests on private patients has been aired on the mailbase
before: if a patient has a private consultation and the Consultant indicates
to the GP a set of tests to be done prior to the next private consultation,
should these tests be NHS or private?
The only pertinent document appears to be the DoH 'green book' - The
Management of Private Practice in the NHS 1986. This has not been updated.
Opinion from Learned Friends is that there is nothing to prevent these tests
being done as NHS tests, providing the GP requests them; copies to the
Consultant can, of course, attract a fee.
A Taylor
Biochemistry, RUH Bath NHS Trust
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