# Maternity: possible to buy private room but not private doctor?



## Protocol (16 Feb 2011)

Scenario:

pregnant woman with Aviva health ins (don't know what plan off-hand)

Has gone "public" so far.  At 35 weeks now.

Is it possible to order/book a private room for post-natal in the hosp, if you are not with a private doctor??

i.e. book a private room for after birth, and claim through insurer??


----------



## Protocol (16 Feb 2011)

OK, maybe not pre-book, as you don't know the day nor the hour.

But say during, just after the birth, can you request one then, and let the insurer pay?


----------



## MrEBear (16 Feb 2011)

Hi Protocol, I haven't dealt with healthcare in a while but as far as I can remember once your policy covers a private room and one is available then this shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure how you would go about aranging this with the hospital (I sopose calling them and asking is your best bet). Also I would give Aviva a call on the safe side and just double check your cover and advise of your plans. 

Hope this helps and all the best, Bear


----------



## Mommah (16 Feb 2011)

It very much depends on the private room capcity in the hospital she is attending.

For example my maternity hospital the answer would be a resounding no.
The criteria for a private room in my hospital (Coombe) is private health cover + first child/c section. So although fully private I gave birth in a furniture storage room and shared a room with 6 others after and about 7 before.

My consultant didn't make it for either birth but arrived shortly after the second.

In private healthcare you are really paying for the consultant services in the antenatal period and if you have problems immediately post birth.


----------



## z107 (16 Feb 2011)

We wanted a private room but didn't have a hope. The hospital was so over-crowded it was unreal. Ended up going home early to get desperately needed sleep.

The order of priority for a private room seemed to be:
 - Emergency cases
 - C-section/complicated births
 - private patients.

We were sixth on the list for a place in one of four private rooms. 
Eight women gave birth the day before us, and the hospital only had four labour rooms!

I hope you have better luck.


----------



## NovaFlare77 (16 Feb 2011)

Strictly, the guidelines from the Dept of Health on the classification of public and private patients don't allow people to switch between the public and private systems in the case of maternity.

However, I don't think these are hard and fast rules so the hospital and doctor may allow it, availability allowing. Two things to note however: (i) even if booked, a private room may not be available at the time of admission, and (ii) your doctor may re-classify you as a private patient and you might incur an additional charge from him/her. Check this out before making the decision.


----------



## huskerdu (18 Feb 2011)

The policy in the Coombe  Hospital is that private rooms are only available to private patients and as far as I know, they are strict on this policy. 
Also, not all private patients get a private room, but this may have changed now that here are probably fewer private patients than a few years ago. 

I dont know if this policy is similar in other hospitals.


----------



## mrpolite (26 Feb 2011)

the hospital decides who gets the private rooms, not the type of insurance you have


----------



## JoeRoberts (2 Mar 2011)

We were told no - to get private room you need to pay the full private costs the whole way - basically the private room goes with the consultant, if you don't pay him the whole term you don't get the room. I guess it depends on the hospital. 

Anyway, having had 3 births we found the public room just fine, it's only a couple of days anyway. Save the money and spend it on yourself (or the father !) later. We could not justify the extra cost, and still run risk of no available private room even though we had health insurance cover for part of it. Push for an early release too if you have good backup support at home.


----------



## Graftgirl (2 Mar 2011)

have had 5 children and only once for a day(prior to delivery for induction) did I secure a private room. I calculate that in a 10 yr period I had spent €19900 on medical insurance(family) with BUPA and paid somewhere in the region of €3000 for each of my last two pregnancies in quick succession. Obviously I got something back from BUPA for paying out the 6K(on top of the medical insurance) on the last two pregnancies but it wasn't alot when I look at how much I paid out.
My consulatant was lovely and arrived in good time for both births but apart from that I have to say that there was not much difference between the pregnancies and hospital stays for my first 3 children(Public patient) and the other 2 pregnancies(Private patient), never had the comfort of a private room and this is why I left the hospital after 18-24hrs or as soon as someone would let me sign myself out.
I don't think the hospitals have a choice when there is overcrowding or maybe a woman that has lost her baby or has a pregnancy in difficulty, the hospital will always give a room to a woman in these circumstances over a woman that just wants a private room, IMO. As the OP mentioned keep your money.


----------



## michaelm (3 Mar 2011)

Protocol said:


> Is it possible to order/book a private room for post-natal in the hosp, if you are not with a private doctor??


I'd say no.  There aren't enough private rooms for the private patients as it stands and many of those end up in a semi-private room.  It really makes little difference as the stay will likely be short . . and a private room can be a bit isolating.  The Coombe, and I guess others, do an 'early home' scheme whereby mother and baby may be gone home in less than 24 hours (our last child was born at 1am and mother and baby were heading home by 2pm) and a midwife visits your house a couple of times over the initial days.


----------



## Mpsox (3 Mar 2011)

Some hospitals have no private rooms. We were in St Pauls in Kilkenny in Jan, like you we're on Aviva (corporate plan moved from VHI in Dec) and enquired about private rooms at about the same stage as you and were told they don't have any. Having said that, since there was a visitor ban in place at the time due to vomiting bug, the place was so quiet, it actually didn't matter and was great.


----------



## Protocol (24 Mar 2011)

Thanks for all the replies.


When being admitted in advance for an elective C-Section, I asked the Admissions person was it possible to book / buy / order a private room 3 days before the birth.

"Not a hope", she replied.


----------



## pj111 (24 Mar 2011)

Mpsox said:


> Some hospitals have no private rooms. We were in St Pauls in Kilkenny in Jan, like you we're on Aviva (corporate plan moved from VHI in Dec) and enquired about private rooms at about the same stage as you and were told they don't have any. Having said that, since there was a visitor ban in place at the time due to vomiting bug, the place was so quiet, it actually didn't matter and was great.


 

Where is St. Paul's in Kilkenny ?

_Patrick_


----------



## Mpsox (24 Mar 2011)

pj111 said:


> Where is St. Paul's in Kilkenny ?


 
apologies, got my apostles mixed up, I meant St Lukes


----------



## argentina (24 Mar 2011)

In the bigger Maternity Hospitals there is a difference between a Private Room in the Private section of the Hospital and a Private Room in the main part of the Hospital.  With the former you must be a private patient and have paid circa €4000 - 5,000 for your consultants care, it is the nicer part of the Hospital, bigger room, ensuite and tv etc also choice of food etc. A private room in the main section is like a box room, small cubicle type room and these are kept for Mothers who lose a baby or experience complications or whose baby is in the ICU.
I know with the 3 main maternity hospitals in Dublin you would have virtually zero chance of a private room if you are not a private patient.


----------



## huskerdu (24 Mar 2011)

argentina said:


> In the bigger Maternity Hospitals there is a difference between a Private Room in the Private section of the Hospital and a Private Room in the main part of the Hospital.  With the former you must be a private patient and have paid circa €4000 - 5,000 for your consultants care, it is the nicer part of the Hospital, bigger room, ensuite and tv etc also choice of food etc. A private room in the main section is like a box room, small cubicle type room and these are kept for Mothers who lose a baby or experience complications or whose baby is in the ICU.
> I know with the 3 main maternity hospitals in Dublin you would have virtually zero chance of a private room if you are not a private patient.



Good point, However, in the Coombe, the private rooms in the private ward are not all ensuite, they are the size of a box room and the food is still awful. 

In the semi-private ward, they also have single rooms, but they are still classified as semi-private and are used for women, as you say,  who need privacy but are not private patients.


----------

