DORSET
COUNTY
VASCULAR GROUP
Informed Choice in the NHS and Private Health
Advice on the Cost of Private Healthcare
Thankfully, for most of us, needing medical help is not an everyday occurrence. When it comes to private health we feel that it is important to help you in making choices. With this in mind we have provided the following information, but don't be shy if you need to ask questions about cost, finance etc just let us know and hopefully you will find us very approachable.
Most insurance providers have prearranged fees with clinicians, whilst most companies have fixed reasonable prices for both consultations and investigations some of the larger companies have not, knowing that they can get away with it. Some clinicians have countered this by adding top-up fees to the costs which your insurance providers will cover. At Dorset County Vascular Group we feel it is unfair to transfer these costs to you, it can be devastating to find out that the policy you have paid into for years thinking it will be their for you when you need it doesn't cover the costs of care. We therefore make this pledge, at this present time if you have full comprehensive health cover we will not charge any top up fees apart from anaesthetic fee's for major vascular surgery. It is important before making an appointment with us that you gain approval from your insurance provider and inform us of any authorisation numbers. Unfortunately if you forget to do this before the appointment often the insurance company will expect you to pay the invoice.
Not having insurance doesn't mean that private healthcare is a pipe dream. The BMI offers interest free credit on treatment costs, please call Graeme Stephens at the BMI Winterbourne to discuss whether this would be a good option for your circumstances 01305 756625.
Our self pay costs are competitive not by cutting out quality but by avoiding unnecessary outpatient visits and delivering better prices for equipment and overheads. Indeed all of our imaging whether it be Ultrasound or X-ray based will be carried out only by highly skilled specialists in imaging with the sort of detail that a surgeon waving an ultrasound probe over your leg could only dream of. At Dorset County Vascular Services we feel that informal scanning by consultants without accreditation could lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
Outpatient Costs:
Initials Outpatient Consultation (30 minutes) without investigation £150.00
Followup consultation without investigation £120.00
One Stop Varicose Vein Clinic
to include consultation,full duplex US
scanning and discussion on treatment options one leg £200.00 both legs £230.00
Arterial assessment with doppler and ABPI's during consultation £30.00
Duplex USS: Aortic Screening including Renal £79
Full carotid Assessment £135
Lower Limb Arterial One leg £90, both legs £135.
Lower Limb Venous Scan for varicose veins or ulcers One leg £90, both legs £135.
DVT scanning £80
Examples of Common Procedure Costs:
Ambulatory venous thermal ablation (laser, RF, VNUS Closure)
under local anaesthetic including compression hoisery
and clinical follow up appointment at 6 weeks One leg £2750.00 Both legs £3750.00
Traditional Varicose Vein Surgery under General Anesthesia
including compression hoisery and clinical follow up apointment
at 6 weeks One leg £2495.00 Both legs £3285.00
Micro phlebectomies under local anaesthetic Average price per leg £900.00*
Foam Sclerotherapy truncal veins under local anaesthetic Average price per leg £1000.00*
Thread Vein Sclerotherapy Average price per session £300**
*price is variable due to variability in volume of surgery required and need for re-treatment.
** depending on the volume of thread veins to be treated more than one session is usually needed, when you decide on your desired treatment we will give you an estimate of the number of sessions we feel you may need.
