BUPA Insurance – Orthopaedics
August 6th 2007
see updates 22nd August 2008
see updates 5th December 2007
At the end of July 2007 BUPA Insurance sent out letters and also a detailed proforma (RF1-Request for Information) to a number of orthopaedic consultants as well as to hospital providers. The information requested involves a wide range of personal, clinical, financial and other details from surgeons. In many respects it resembles the initial documentation sent out over a year ago during the first phase of the BUPA ophthalmic tender.
Ophthalmologists will recall that this so called “quality“ document was a similar detailed request for information and that it was to be followed by a “value” assessment at which time some form of package pricing was to be imposed. BUPA Insurance did not get to the second phase of that process as the initial documentation was rejected by ophthalmologists.
It is unclear at this time exactly what BUPA Insurance wishes to achieve with this orthopaedic RFI. However, if the same pattern of specialty tendering is now being suggested for orthopaedics as it was for ophthalmology then it can be anticipated that there will be new negotiated package pricing for orthopaedic surgery to follow. If this is imposed it will carry with it the same difficulties that ophthalmologists identified and rejected, namely loss of patient choice of consultant and hospital, a redirection of patients, the break-up of the GP to consultant referral pathway, a loss of continuity of care and consultant independence.
BUPA Insurance’s true motives in sending out this request for information has yet to be determined and FIPO along with other professional organisations will be responding to this and requesting further information from BUPA Insurance.
It must be stressed that at this stage it does not appear that all consultant orthopaedic surgeons have received this request for information from BUPA. If a consultant does receive this then he/she needs to make their own decisions about this matter and whether or not they wish to complete this pro-forma. In similar circumstances ophthalmologists did discuss these matters with local colleagues before coming to their personal decisions.