Attending London Digestive Health

Please read this before making an appointment at LDH.
It contains important information about appointments, our relationship with you, and self and insurance payments. When you come to see us you will be asked to confirm by signing a copy of the document that you have read and understood it.

We run a specialised medical practice providing a high level of care and attention on a full-time basis. We do our best to keep costs down but medical care is expensive, both in the NHS and in private practice, especially in Central London where everything costs more.

Our medical and financial relationship is directly with you. In the end you are personally responsible for all fees for consultations, procedures and tests. You may defray the costs via insurance, but if your insurance does not cover the full cost you will be responsible for outstanding fees.

Most insurers reimburse fees at a level that they consider reasonable, based on a national average, or BMA or BUPA guidelines and their need to make a profit. They make little allowance for the cost of running a full-time first class practice in Harley Street. Because of our location our fees are sometimes higher than the national average.

If you are paying for yourself, you can pay by credit or debit card, cash or cheque with verification card. We will take your insurance policy and authorisation numbers and credit card details at the time of booking and will arrange collection of fees direct.

Appointments: You can make appointments by phone or email and we will confirm by phone, fax, email, post or text message wherever possible.

You will appreciate that we may not be able to fill appointments cancelled at short notice. Cancellations within one working day of an appointment will normally be charged at the full rate. Cancellations or rearrangements within 1 to 3 working days will be charged a flat fee of £75.

Undertaking: You will be asked to sign a copy of this letter to indicate that you have read and understood the following:

1. You are personally liable for professional fees, even if your insurers decline to cover you in part or in full for any reason.
2. If you are self-paying, fees should be paid direct to London Digestive Health, normally on the day of service. For some patients we use a billing agency (Medical Billing and Collection, MBC), who may contact you on our behalf if fees are outstanding.
3. Fees not paid on time may be subject to interest charges at Bank of England base rate plus 5% pa from the due date to the date of payment.
4. We will give you an estimate of our fees, but if you need admission you will need to contact the relevant hospital for their room rates and other fees.
5. If you have medical insurance, please confirm with the insurers the level of cover and the benefits available to you for the hospital and medical fees that you may incur, and that you can cover any excess yourself. Do not rely on telephone conversations with insurers. Do obtain written confirmation from them.
6. If you are a UK non-resident you will be required to settle your account in full on the day of consultation or other service. If admission is required, both the hospital and we will require a deposit before admission. This will be detailed in writing and the deposits collected before admission.