LCA NEWSFLASH

April 3rd 2006

HCA Hospitals in London and St Anthony’s Hospital, Cheam in conflict with BUPA Insurance over the MRI tender.

It has just been announced that the HCA group of hospitals in central London has not been recognised by BUPA Insurance in their recent MRI tender. Many consultants will have received a letter from BUPA Insurance that puts the blame for this entirely onto HCA hospitals. HCA for their part has denied this and is seeking to clarify this matter through the Courts.

The London Consultants’ Association has not been party to, or aware of the details of the negotiations that have taken place with regard to HCA’s overall contract with BUPA Insurance nor has it been involved with the more recent specific loss of recognition in the MRI tender. The LCA, however, has been assured by HCA that this is not an issue of price as their bid for MRI work was initially accepted by BUPA Insurance.

The London Consultants’ Association does not believe that the first rate consultants who work in the HCA radiology departments can be criticised for the quality of their professional work, indeed many have international reputations. Nor do we believe that the service, provision and delivery by the various MRI units in the HCA group are unsatisfactory.

We are, therefore, driven to the conclusion that BUPA Insurance’s action masks some other undisclosed agenda. This is supported by the fact that at least one hospital in the new approved BUPA Insurance network do not actually have its own MRI machine and others have services provided by a mobile MRI which can only provide limited appointment times.

Another hospital to be left out of the MRI network is St Anthony’s Hospital in Cheam. St Anthony’s is also well known for its up to date technology and high standards of care. Neither the hospital nor its consultants can understand why it has been left out of the network and its questions to BUPA Insurance remain unanswered. Like the HCA group its MRI service is one where the radiologists are present throughout the scan, to talk to the patient, discuss the findings with fellow clinicians and amend the sequence of images according to the needs and condition of the patient. St Anthony’s believes that BUPA Insurance is denying its own members their choice of hospital at the same time as it is denying the referring consultants their choice of radiologist.

The London Consultants’ Association believes that this is a clear example of what may increasingly happen if tendering for front line specialty services goes ahead for orthopaedics, ophthalmology and then others. If this becomes widespread it will inevitably lead to difficulties for our patients and the consultants who treat them. At a time when the notions of choice and access are very topical issues in the NHS, BUPA Insurance appears to be disregarding both.

The local management will no doubt issue guidance on how consultants should manage their BUPA Insurance patients requiring MRI within these hospitals.