# GP admin charge for (re?)issuing receipts



## ClubMan (18 Apr 2007)

A neighbour of ours recently requested copies of receipts for last year (for health insurance or tax relief claim purposes) from their _GP _(actually it was a medical clinic rather than a "regular" _GP _practice in case that matters) and got them but was charged €25 for the privilege. Is this sort of charge common? I'm not 100% sure if the receipts were originally issued and these were duplicate copies. My wife has done this several times with her _GP _and was never charged any admin fee and they even posted them out to her.


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## ubiquitous (18 Apr 2007)

Dunno if its common but I suppose the idea of an admin charge is to incentivise people to hold on to originals. As always different practices will have different policies on items such as this.

My own doctor always issues receipts at the time of payment with "we do not supply copy receipts" or suchlike printed on them. In certain circumstances it might be worth someone's time paying €25 for duplicates if this meant they could claim a sizeable tax refund. I can't understand why a tax relief at source system for medical expenses has not yet been introduced for GPs, hospitals and clinics. Maybe the Exchequer don't want to let go of the surplus they are making by people's failure to claim under the Med1 system?


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## ClubMan (18 Apr 2007)

ubiquitous said:


> Dunno if its common but I suppose the idea of an admin charge is to incentivise people to hold on to originals. As always different practices will have different policies on items such as this.


I appreciate that but, for example, my wife's _GP _does not issue receipts automatically and if you don't ask at the time (as she didn't many times over the past two years while attending with the nipper and thus with other things on her mind) then you have to ask for them after the fact. At least in her case there was no charge. As I said I don't know if our neighbour got receipts in the first place and wanted copies or if she was retrospectively asking for originals. My own _GP _always issues receipts automatically (at least in the past 10 years or so). I was just wondering if such an admin charge was common in people's experience and, on a related note, if it's common for _GPs _to issue receipts automatically or if people generally have to ask for them?


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## xeresod (18 Apr 2007)

ubiquitous said:


> I can't understand why a tax relief at source system for medical expenses has not yet been introduced for GPs, hospitals and clinics. Maybe the Exchequer don't want to let go of the surplus they are making by people's failure to claim under the Med1 system?


 
From next year, refunds will automatically issue without the need to make a claim for hospital expenses not covered by insurance and on pharmacy costs for non-reimbursed amounts paid on prescribed drugs under the drugs payment scheme.

See the Revenue eBrief 50/2006 from last December [broken link removed] for full details.


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## helan72 (18 Apr 2007)

At the GP I used to attend if you didnt ask for a receipt at the time you had to pay €5 for every duplicate requested.


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## ClubMan (18 Apr 2007)

helan72 said:


> At the GP I used to attend if you didnt ask for a receipt at the time you had to pay €5 for every duplicate requested.


Even if the duplicate was the first receipt issued?


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## helan72 (18 Apr 2007)

Yep - i tried arguing that point once - got me no-where. I then tried just asking for a print out of my account thinking 1 piece of paper = one charge, but that didnt work either they just counted up the transactions and charged accordingly!!!! only for the fact that the tax refund was sizeable I wouldnt have bothered.

Consequently the GP is my EX GP


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## Firefly (18 Apr 2007)

Could you quote the Data Protection Act and get the GP to issue with all info about you that he has...this would surely include payments made. Not sure if they can charge for providing this..

Firefly.


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## Murt10 (18 Apr 2007)

Would I be regarded as being overly suspicious of GP's if I suggested that they are in a cash business and if they are not making full returns or understaing their income to Revenue. 

If all their patients were to claim tax relief on all their visits it won't take Revenue too long to put 2+2 together and clobber the GP's for years of underpayment of tax.

I'm sure we have all been to the GP when there was twenty people in the queue in front of you and another twenty when you leave and if each was paying E50 per visit, you are talking about serious money. That's not counting the people who were treated before you arrived and those who arrive after you leave, or the home visits that follow. 

In todays papers the Medical Consultants described the new pay of E205,000
plus another E40,000 being offered as Mickey Mouse Money. 

Murt


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## pokerwidow (18 Apr 2007)

I had to pay €15 at the end of last year but I got four years of receipts.  The receptionist made me feel that i was lucky that I didn't pay 4 x €15.  

I always ask for a receipt but my husband does not.  When I compared the annual receipts to my diary there were some missing.  Their attitude towards money stinks but they (husband and wife) are good doctors, so better the devil and all that.


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## Gordanus (18 Apr 2007)

pokerwidow said:


> Their attitude towards money stinks but they (husband and wife) are good doctors, so better the devil and all that.



They're *doctors*!  Don't think they get any business training, so have to learn it themselves.  Personally, I often get people asking me for copy receipts and to be honest, it's a pain cos I have to dig out the old books and search the entries...(not computerised). It can take a good half hour and I will be introducing a charge.  I give everyone a receipt at the time, but I guess they lose them (as I might too in their shoes, TBH)


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## Guest127 (18 Apr 2007)

last time I visited a doctor was in 2002. he charged €30. and just slipped it under the blotting paper. no receipt given ( nor asked for to be honest). seriously doubt the revenue got much of his cash business.


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## nutty nut (19 Apr 2007)

At our practice receipts are always issued by the receptionist. Last year I got copies of 3 receipts (lost the originals) and there was no charge.


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## ClubMan (19 Apr 2007)

cuchulainn said:


> last time I visited a doctor was in 2002. he charged €30. and just slipped it under the blotting paper.


I now have visions of your _GP _hunched over an inkpot writing your prescription out longhand using a quill!


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## Firefly (19 Apr 2007)

Gordanus said:


> They're *doctors*! Don't think they get any business training, so have to learn it themselves. Personally, I often get people asking me for copy receipts and to be honest, it's a pain cos I have to dig out the old books and search the entries...(not computerised). It can take a good half hour and I will be introducing a charge. I give everyone a receipt at the time, but I guess they lose them (as I might too in their shoes, TBH)


 

Not sure I buy into that - everyone else who owns a business seems to get by. Also, not meaning to criticize, but if you had your records in order you/your receptionist might find it easier....


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## mo3art (19 Apr 2007)

But is this the only business where you are charged for receipts?  E.g. in my company we regularly have to issue duplicate receipts and we never charge for this.  Why should a GP?


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## ubiquitous (19 Apr 2007)

mo3art said:


> But is this the only business where you are charged for receipts?  E.g. in my company we regularly have to issue duplicate receipts and we never charge for this.



you obviously don't work for a bank.


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## Guest127 (19 Apr 2007)

ClubMan said:


> I now have visions of your _GP _hunched over an inkpot writing your prescription out longhand using a quill!
> 
> [URL]http://www.grudge-match.com/Images/scrooge.gif[/URL]


 

. good doctor if a little 'slipshod' in the book keeping area. a good example of this would be that we kept our own records of the two junior cus injections etc. don't think he a filing system. certainly didnt have a secretary. can't say more because it will be fairly apparant to dundalkies who I am referring to.


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## mo3art (19 Apr 2007)

ubiquitous said:


> you obviously don't work for a bank.



Nope, but it is a service type company, where it would possibly be viewed as alienating our clients if we were to charge for administrative items.  I have also worked for another service type company and again the idea of charging for receipts or any documentation wouldn't even be considered.


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## BlueSpud (19 Apr 2007)

This is the same ideas as baggage charges with the airlines.  

The true cost of the copy-receipts is nothing and is well covered by the cost of the visit.  Can you imagine your GP paying you for having to give him/her the same info or whatever twice.


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## babydays (19 Apr 2007)

Fortunately, so far (!), my GP hasn't charged for me asking for a receipt at a later date. Usually they ask me 'do you want a receipt'  - when they do I remember to get one but if they don't it might slip my mind - as I'm usually organising to get two toddlers (one sick presumably) out the door. 

Find it pretty dispicable that some charge for a receipt.


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## huskerdu (20 Apr 2007)

My GP reminded me at the end of the year to fill in my Med1 and suggested I check if I was  missing any receipts and to let him know  if I needed any duplicates (no charge)


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## RainyDay (21 Apr 2007)

Firefly said:


> Could you quote the Data Protection Act and get the GP to issue with all info about you that he has...this would surely include payments made. Not sure if they can charge for providing this..


They can charge a nominal €6.25 (IR £5) for responding to a Data Protection request.


Murt10 said:


> Would I be regarded as being overly suspicious of GP's if I suggested that they are in a cash business and if they are not making full returns or understaing their income to Revenue.


I would share your suspicion.


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