Hospitals to hand out itemised 'bills' to patients
PATIENTS discharged from hospital could be given a breakdown of how much their treatment has cost the NHS.
Hospital bosses are considering the move to raise awareness of how much various tests, procedures and visits cost, encouraging patients to "value" and "appreciate" the service.
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Precious service: Hospitals in the region could start giving patients a breakdown of the cost of their treatment.
Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Phil Morley said some people attend the accident and emergency (A&E) department at Hull Royal Infirmary, requesting painkillers for headaches.
He said one of those visits alone costs the NHS £150.
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Mr Morley, who could introduce the printout of costs by the end of next year, said: "I don't think people recognise the value of what we have in the NHS.
"What we get for free, we often take for granted.
"It's reminding people how precious the NHS is.
"We have people coming into A&E for paracetamol because they have a headache. It costs an A&E visit for something they could get for pennies.
"We still prescribe paracetamol for people.
"Is that right when most people have it at home in their cupboards?"
The trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, is under pressure to save £99m.
The efficiency savings have to be made by 2018 and include ward closures and bed losses.
Mr Morley said the budget for one person's health each year in England is about £1,700.
But some patients need more treatment than others, depending on their condition or problem, and the cost of operations, procedures and tests vary.
"Some people will be surprised by what they think is a tiny cost," said Mr Morley.
"It's a lot of money and some people will be staggered.
"I want people to recognise the value and preciousness of what we have and see if it helps us all make better choices, make people stop and think about what we need to do differently.
"The NHS is all of ours and when somebody has been through A&E eight times in a month, it's a lot of money.
"But I don't want people to feel this is a disincentive for coming in.
"It's so people make the best use of the NHS and appreciate it.
"If you had been in the US, you would have had to pay for it."
Mr Morley said a review of wastage in theatres led to a £150,000 saving and he hopes the breakdown of costs, which is to be discussed by trust officials, will heighten awareness.
"This isn't about changing people, it's about a being conscious," he said.
"If that care could have been given somewhere that is just as good but cheaper, is hospital the right place to be?
"The hospital needs to be there when you need it.
"We do fantastic things and save lives but we also spend £500m a year as a trust.
"We want people to be aware of the valuable resources we have and use them more wisely."
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Comments
by YorkieTed
Monday, October 29 2012, 3:27PM
“Wonder if the itimised bill contains VAT?”
by Posativus
Monday, October 29 2012, 7:03AM
“Another hair brained idea from Phil Morley, he should concentrate on getting his staff to provide dignity and respect to patients and not releasing old confused people from hospital at 4am in bed robes GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT”
by cazmarelda
Monday, October 29 2012, 1:54AM
“They will have the technology all set up with this and so can easily adapt it in the next few years so we can be 'charged' for treatment...goodbye NHS...hello privatisation!”
by rtyrty20
Sunday, October 28 2012, 9:37PM
“It doesn't cost the NHS £150 to give someone paracetamol. It may well cost £150 for the NHS to pay for medical, nursing, admin, cleaning and other staff for the duration of the visit, as well as overheads like providing, equipping, powering and maintaining the clinical space the person is seen in.
Letting people know how much their treatment costs won't generate a massive financial overhead like some people are predicting on here either as NHS will be keeping track of costs already.”
by bt13jz
Sunday, October 28 2012, 9:23PM
“I think some really good points have been raised by the readers. There will be a massive admin cost and including accounting software in every department.
Maybe we could do a price promise like the major supermarkets and see which trust is delivering service savings:)
I understand why the suggestion has come about, but I think it would be far more easier to issue penalty tickets for missed appointments.
Slowly slowly we will be privatised”
by Strangley
Sunday, October 28 2012, 8:03PM
“@Hullcomunter
I suspect the £150 bill for a packet of painkillers is worked out something like
Fixed Cost (Staff, premises etc) + Variable cost (drugs & equipment) divided by number of pesciptions issued per Annum
As the lion's share of costs will be fixed, apart from very expensive drugs, sending someone off to Boots will not save the HRI £150. It will just make the remaining pescriptions more expensive on paper. Totally outsourcing the pharmacy may or may not save cash, or HRI could downsize it's drugs store, & stop all external dispensing. However, I can't see how a hospital can operate without a drug dispensary so some fixed cost will always remain.”
by HullCommuter
Sunday, October 28 2012, 6:58PM
“Hang on.. This argument can go two ways. Should we not also be asking the question why does it cost HRI £150 to prescribe paracetamol? That then becomes exactly the type of question that the government wants an answer for before it keeps on paying the seemingly limitless bills. Surely there must be a cheaper way for HRI to deal with that sort of thing. If not, why not? Money saved in that way could go to where it is needed much more.”
by Fogeyspasm
Sunday, October 28 2012, 6:39PM
“Maybe it would be a good idea to send a bill to some of the idiots that call an Ambulance for something like toothache!”
by IloveHull
Sunday, October 28 2012, 3:47PM
“And the cost of producing these statements would be ? Paper, printers, translation to foreign Languages etc.. it's a good idea though, maybe a price list in the waiting rooms would help.”
by AstynomiaKats
Sunday, October 28 2012, 1:25PM
“I would then hand them my statement pointing out how much national insurance I have paid in the last XXX odd years, thats an insurance to provide for me and otheres for when they are sick or become unemployed. Unfortunately, like the car tax, the government has stolen this money for use for other purposes such as letting large firms off their tax bills, appauling senior civil service salaries and over egged expenses.”