I hear this quite often.
Normally from prospective clients who call and want their fees reviewed.
They claim they have a colleague who gets £250 from BUPA or £350 from AXA.
But they have only been offered £136 from BUPA and £175 from AXA.
Specialism
The first question I ask is what specialism are they in?
The second is what specialism is their colleague in?
Loaded Question
This is very much a loaded question because I already know the answer to the first part.
BUPA paying £250 for an initial consultation and £350 for an initial consultation, tells me the colleague is a mental health specialist.
Then, and it happened last week, the caller tells me they themselves are an ENT consultant.
Et Viola!
There is the answer.
BUPA and AXA pay more for a mental health specialist than they do for an ENT consultant or a gynecologist.
Smile
I do have a rye smile on my face when the caller points out, they are just as qualified as a gynecologist or as an ENT.
For what it’s worth I agree.
But the reality is, BUPA and AXA deem mental health specialists to be worth more.
The usual argument is that they spend longer with their patients. I have no idea if that’s correct or not.
But what I do know is those are the fee levels.
Arguing with either insurance company that the rules are misguided is, frankly, misguided.
pete@medicalhealthcaremanagement.co.uk