Consultation

Initial Consultation (New-Patient Consultation)

This is likely to last about 45 minutes.

Follow-up Consultation (If Required)

This is defined as a consultation taking place less than one calendar year following the previous appointment with me and likely to last 20-30 minutes

Fees

Other Fees

Following your consultation, you are likely to need certain tests (such as blood tests or imaging, for example an X-ray, MRI or CT scan) to help diagnose your condition. You may also be recommended further treatment. If a test or treatment is undertaken by the clinic or hospital, the fees will be determined by the clinic or hospital and charged to you, or your private medical insurer, separately. At the time of this document, the only fees which I personally charge, are as follows:

*depending on dose and requirement for EMG-guidance

Prescription Costs

Pharmacies themselves charge a mark-up on the actual cost of any medication I prescribe. Sometimes however, with cheaper drugs, the cost of a private prescription can still be cheaper than an NHS prescription. I only charge for repeat prescriptions outside of the context of a consultation.

Private Health Insurance

There has been a recent trend among the principal private health insurance companies to cap the amount that they will cover for the cost of consultations, tests and treatments. As part of this trend, all new consultants appointed to their post in the last few years have not been ‘recognized’ by these insurance companies unless they have signed up to being ‘fee-assured’. The private health insurance companies have now followed this up by also attempting to persuade established consultants to become ‘fee-assured.’ These companies have also been contacting GPs and trying to persuade them to make ‘open referrals,’ that is, referrals to an un-named consultant specialist, so that the private health insurance company themselves can make the choice of which specialist a patient is referred to. In some cases, patients have actually been persuaded by these companies to ask the GP to change the referral from one consultant to another ‘fee-assured’ consultant. In my view, this is a very serious interference with the medical process, by insurance companies, in which GPs have always chosen which consultant might or might not be the appropriate specialist for a particular patient to be referred to.

I have been recognized by all the principal private health insurance companies since 1998, but I have chosen not to become ‘fee-assured’. My fees have only increased once since 1998 and are about average in the south of England for Consultant Neurologists of my experience and considerably cheaper than London Consultant Neurologists.

Terms of Business

Private health insurance companies may not cover the full cost of a consultation, so it is your responsibility to make sure that you are aware of the fees (see next section) and to ensure that you are able to afford any shortfall.

It is a condition of accepting your appointment with me, that you agree to the consultation fees and that it is you, as the patient (rather than your private health insurer), who is personally responsible for paying the full cost of your consultation fees.

Payment of Consultation Fees

An invoice will be sent to you prior to the consultation. Currently available payment options are bank transfer or cheque. If paying by bank transfer, please use your full name (name of the patient) as the reference. If paying by cheque, please make your cheque payable to Dr Angus Nisbet and send it to the Montefiore Hospital (address above).

If you have provided full insurance details, then it may be possible for us to submit an invoice directly to your health insurer. However, as stated above, you remain responsible for any shortfall in payment.

I am happy to complete any forms from your health insurer.

Private Medical Insurance

If you have private medical insurance, then please contact your insurer before your consultation, to check the terms of your policy, particularly the level and type of outpatient cover you have, including any reimbursement limits on individual consultation fees. I am recognised by the following private medical insurers: BUPA, BUPA Global, AXA PPP, WPA, Cigna, Aviva, L&G, Westfield Health, Health-On-Line, Exeter Friendly, Vitality Health, National Friendly.