Written answers

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Department of Health

Hospital Consultants Remuneration

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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597. To ask the Minister for Health the amount consultants with private practice are receiving on top of their Health Service Executive salary in private fees and the measures he is taking to address this. [54101/13]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The amount consultants receive in respect of private practice reflects the volume of cases and the level of fees charged. Consultant Contract 2008 sets out clear rules on the relative volume of private practice that may be undertaken by consultants, depending on the individual contract held, and the arrangements for measurement and management of this, including the steps to be taken where it the permitted volume exceeded. Depending on contract type, a consultant may have no access to private practice (Type A contract holders), a cap of 20% private activity for newly appointed consultants (Type B) or a cap of up to 30% in the case of certain existing consultants. Arrangements concerning implementation and monitoring of Consultant Contract 2008 are matters for the HSE in the first instance. It is incumbent on publicly-funded hospitals to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract, including the provisions in relation to the ratio of private practice undertaken.

The level of fees charged by a consultant who sees a patient privately is a matter between the consultant and the patient. The fees arising may be met personally by the patient concerned, by the patient's health insurer, or a combination of the two depending on the extent, if any, to which the patient has insurance cover for the service provided. Given these arrangements, the data sought by the Deputy is not available. However, I have impressed on health insurers the need to contain costs, including payments in respect of consultant fees.

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