# Minor procedure - keeping costs down.



## Oliverj (3 Aug 2011)

I need to get a mole removed from my back and I don't have much experience of dealing with this.

Do I need to stump up the €60 odd for a GP consultation and then whatever extra for the procedure itself or is there any other way to reduce costs?

I have Quinn Plan B Excess insurance.


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## DrMoriarty (3 Aug 2011)

Welcome to AAM, Oliverj.

Your GP will refer you to a consultant whose fees (and any covered hospital costs for the procedure) will presumably be met directly by your insurance, all things being equal. A call to Quinn should provide clarification.


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## Mrs Vimes (3 Aug 2011)

Hi Oliver,

I had a similar procedure a couple of years ago and had the most basic level of cover with Quinn.

I rang my GP who sent a letter to the plastic surgeon requesting an appointment (GP didn't charge for this). I had to pay the consultant e100 for the initial consultation and the procedure itself was covered entirely.

Sybil


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## Jazz01 (3 Aug 2011)

Hi,

Had one removed from my back a few years back - referral was needed from doctor & there was a €75 excess with VHI (Plan B I think I was on at the time)... so I needed to pay that...

Did your GP recommend the removal of the mole? If so, then maybe as (Mrs Vimes did), just ring your GP asking to be referred... might not cost you anything on that side of things...


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## NovaFlare77 (3 Aug 2011)

Hi Oliver. You mentioned you're on Quinn's Plan B Excess plan, but I presume this is their Essential Plus Excess plan. If it's a different plan though, then the cover might be different than I mention below.

Firstly, you'll probably need to pay for the GP visit and the consultant visit. You won't get anything back on your plan, unless you have a lot of other out-patient expenses. However, if you're a PAYE worker you can claim tax relief on these, at 20%.

For the procedure itself, Quinn have different levels of excesses. Public hospitals have no excess, private hospitals have excesses of either €50 or €125, and hi-tech hospitals have an excess of €200. The hospital lists are on their website here, so you can check the excess before you even see the consultant. A mole removal is usually a day procedure, and other than the excesses, your plan fully covers all of Quinn's hospitals for day procedures.

You can also check if your consultant is fully covered by Quinn at that link as well. The vast majority of consultants are fully covered, but a few opt out of the full cover scheme.

One other thing to consider is that the treatment needs to be medically necessary in order to be covered. I've seen a few cases of people getting a mole removed for cosmetic or preventative reasons, and that's not necessarily covered. Your GP will give you a better indication of the medical necessity, if you haven't already spoken to them.

Finally, as Dr Moriarty suggests, you should also contact Quinn after getting a hospital appointment to make sure that there's nothing else to consider. It's not mandatory, but it gives you that piece of mind. It also means that there's a record of Quinn telling you that you are or you're not covered, should you need it in the future.

Sorry for such a long answer to such a short question, but shout if you have any more questions.


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## Oliverj (3 Aug 2011)

Thanks for all the replies!

I had a mole removed when I was a teenager under my parents health insurance so I have some experience of this myself. I think any GP would recommend removal of this one (without going into medical details here) but I haven't been to the Dr for any of them so see it recently.

Really what I was asking was if there was anyway around the GP referral because money is really tight at the moment. And it seems from your answers and experience that there isn't so I'm just going to have to bite the bullet on this one and stump up. It'll be worth it in the long run. 

Cheers for all the in-depth answers. It was a great help.


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## Mrs Vimes (3 Aug 2011)

Just to clarify Oliver, my GP never actually saw the mole I had off - I rang her and said I was concerned and she basically took my word for it.

Perhaps your GP would be the same? Worth a phone call to find out surely.

Also I rang Quinn before going to the hospital to make sure it was covered and they said that once it wasn't just for cosmetic reasons then it was covered.

Good luck with it anyway, even if you do have to pay GP and surgeon, it is worth it to make sure a small problem doesn't turn into a big one.

Sybil


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## Oliverj (3 Aug 2011)

Aha. Cheers for that. I have hardly been to a GP for a few years now so I hardly have a relationship with one but I might well give it a try. No harm in asking, eh?

And yes, absolutely better to deal with is sooner rather than later.

Thanks!
Oliver


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## millieforbes (3 Aug 2011)

I've had a mole removed at a GP's minor surgery clinic, I was referred from my own GP who are a sister practice but aren't equipped for surgery. If I had started from the sister practice they might have completed it there and then in one appointment.

The surgery practice was Ranelagh medical and they Are quite good on the phone if you rang them to discuss


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## Oliverj (3 Aug 2011)

Ah, that's very good info. Thank you for that. I'll give them a call and see what they say.

Cheers.


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## huskerdu (3 Aug 2011)

I had a mole removed a few years ago publically and it cost nothing apart from the initial GP visit. 

The GP referred me to the public clinic of a consultant and everything else was free. I was waiting a total of 8 months from the GP referral.


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## pj111 (9 Aug 2011)

Met someonetoday just back from a Mole Mapping session. He went to Charter Medical in Smithfield but I know that the Well and the Mole Screen Clinic in Grafton Street also carry out similar service. Cost is between €150-200 for full body.


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## browtal (9 Aug 2011)

I had a mole removed by my PG at his surgery. There was no cost to me but the VHI paid the full cost of about €75.  
I think they have a special arrangement with the GPs. I dont have any outpatient cover from VHI, this seems to be an exception. Good luck Browtal


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