Cash-strapped patients don't pay up at ED

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN MORE patients are failing to pay the €100 charged in some cases to attend the Emergency Department at Galway and Ballinasloe hospitals. Figures obtained by The Tuam Herald reveal that the number of unpaid bills for the ED at the hospitals has nearly doubled in the past year. At University Hospital Galway there were twice as many unpaid bills at the end of last year than in 2011 and in Portiuncula Hospital there were an extra 1,000 outstanding payments due.[private] The numbers attending Galway's emergency departments have increased in the past year and in Ballinasloe an extra 1,600 patients visited the department during 2012, a rise of almost eight per cent. Just over 65,000 people attended the ED at UHG last year. While 65,000 patients were seen by emergency staff at the Galway hospital, less than ten per cent of these were asked to pay the €100 fee. There is no charge if a patient attends the ED when they are referred by their GP. Medical-card holders are also waived the €100 fee and the charge also doesn't apply for those who attend the ED and are subsequently admitted to hospital. If a person attends the ED of a public hospital without being referred by a GP or family doctor, they may be charged a standard fee of €100. The hefty charge is one way to deter unnecessary visits to the busy department by people deciding to walk in without having previously visited their doctor. 2,000 bills owing The figures provided by the HSE show that at the end of last year there were more than 2,000 bills outstanding for the ED at UHG. This is more than double the number of unpaid bills at the end of 2011 when there were 980 outstanding. While UHG sees nearly three times as many patients in its ED than Portiuncula, the problem of unpaid bills is worse at the Ballinasloe hospital. At the end of last year there were 2,260 bills outstanding for patient visits to the ED compared to less than half this figure in 2011 when there were 1,260 bills outstanding. The figures provided to The Tuam Herald show that in 2011 University Hospital issued 5,800 bills relating to the ED of which 4,820 were paid. In 2012 the Galway hospital billed 6,200 patients relating to the ED but only 4,090 were paid by the end of the year. In 2011, 3,360 bills were sent to patients who attend the ED at Portiuncula Hospital and 2,100 of these had been paid by the end of the year. In 2012 3,970 bills were issued by the Ballinasloe hospital but less than half of these were paid, 1,710, by the end of the year. It appears that the only action taken by the HSE to attempt to recover the amount owing to the hospitals is to send regular reminders to the patient concerned. The Galway and Roscommon University Hospital Group says that many patients pay immediately and those who do not are sent regular reminders. The HSE says that in certain cases where people have difficulty paying, it may provide the service free of charge. Return visits to the ED in relation to the same illness or accident are not subject to any additional charge.[/private]