Quick recovery
Enabling private treatment in Poland with cost recovery from the NHS
By leveraging a patients’ rights to treatment outside of the country where they reside, we enable our clients to receive treatment from private clinics in Poland, and to recover the cost of medical expenses from the NHS.
Learn about the legal basis of the cost reimbursement process
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Who is eligible for treatment abroad on the NHS?
1. Residency
Patients must be ordinarily resident in the UK with rights to NHS treatment.
2. Medical services
Treatment must be available to the patient on the NHS. This means that, for example, cosmetic treatments are not refunded.
3. Treatment Country
Treatment must take place in one of the countries of the European Economic Area (EU, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein).
4. The need for treatment
Treatment must be necessary to diagnose or cure disease.
Treatment in Poland on NHS with Med4EU
Contact us
Let us take care of your medical problem. Contact us using the contact form on the website or send us an email. Tell us about what stage of treatment you are in, for example, if you are waiting for a specialist consultation or if you already have a surgical referral.
Check the medical treatments are available
Qualifying application to the NHS
NHS will only reimburse the costs of medical treatment abroad if the medical service is normally available to the patient on the NHS and only up to the NHS price limit. Given that the prices of medical services are considerably lower in Poland than in England, patients might expect full cost recovery.
Before the procedure, it is possible to apply to the NHS with a request for a valuation of the refund and to confirm that the service is available to the patient. Med4EU decides on the need to submit a qualifying application with each client individually. If needed – Med4EU will take care of the entire application process on your behalf.
Choosing a clinic
Med4EU cooperates with the best private clinics in Poland. Our consultants will advise you on which clinic is specialized in the diagnosis or treatment of your medical problem.
If you have already chosen a clinic, we can work with your doctors on the medical documentation that is central to the reimbursement application.
Treatment at a convenient time
Once you have decided on the clinic you want to be treated at, the next step is to make an appointment at a time convenient for you, bypassing the NHS queue. At the clinic you will be asked to share your medical documentation with Med4EU – this will be essential in the preparation of the reimbursement application.
Financing
Within the framework of the EU Directive, the patient pays for the treatment, and afterwards the NHS reimburses the costs. All proofs of payment – receipts, invoices, bank statements – are attached to the reimbursement application.
Sending us the remaining documents
To begin the cost recovery process, Med4EU will need proof of your residency, covering the period before and after the treatment. The sooner we receive the documents, the sooner we will be able to start the reimbursement process.
Application to the NHS
After completing the medical report and receiving the necessary documents confirming your residency, Med4EU will prepare an application for reimbursement of medical expenses to the NHS. We will keep you posted on the progress of your application.
Reimbursement of treatment costs
A typical cost recovery process takes 4 months from the time the application is submitted to the NHS. The amount of the refund is limited by the amount of the NHS valuation. Each of the payments (for specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, surgeries etc) is considered separately.
Valuation of treatment by the NHS
Under the EU cross-border healthcare directive, the NHS is obliged to reimburse the costs of treatment abroad only up to the amount of NHS treatment valuation.
This means that if the NHS valuates the treatment at £1000 and the patient pays £1200, then the NHS refunds only £1,000 to the patient, and the patient has to pay the difference on their own. In cases where the cost of treatment in Poland is lower than the NHS, the NHS provides a full refund.
In the event of uncertainty in the area of treatment pricing, prior to planned treatment, Med4EU will submit an application to the NHS asking for a quote. The necessity of this process is determined with each patient individually.
Necessary documentation
To start the reimbursement process, we will need:
- Information about your place of residence and the GP you are registered with
- Documents which can be used to confirm your place of residence include: official letters, bank statements etc. (covering the period BEFORE and AFTER treatment)
- Your NHS and National Insurance numbers
Get back your health now
To begin the preparation for your treatment abroad with Med4EU, register in our system today. You do not have to provide a full set of information right away – once you have your login details, you can update your profile later.
Register with Med4EU
Treatment has already taken place
–what now?
Med4EU also handles the cost recovery process if the treatment has already taken place. If you are interested in this service, please contact us via the contact form. Once you have collected all the necessary documents, you can count on the reimbursement of medical expenses within 4 months. Patients can apply for reimbursement of costs for treatments that took place after October 2013.
Start the cost recovery process with Med4EU
EU cross-border healthcare directive
Legal basis of medical cost recovery from the NHS
On the basis of the cross-border healthcare directive, residents of England who are eligible for NHS treatment can be treated in private clinics in Poland, receiving reimbursement of treatment costs from the NHS.
The reimbursement is up to the amount of the NHS’s valuation – that is, what amount the fund would have to pay if the treatment happened within the NHS. In practice, this means that if the treatment costs more – the amount of the valuation is paid and the patient is obliged to pay the surplus.
Who benefits the most?
The EU Directive on cross-border healthcare is especially beneficial for patients who are waiting in long queues for medical care in their own country or who want to increase their standard of care by using private healthcare abroad.
Learn about the legal basis of our services.
Learn more
Let’s talk about your treatment – contact us today!