Q:  Why do I need to register with Vhi Healthcare?

A: Only doctors registered on Vhi Healthcare’s Doctor File can receive professional fee benefits for claims submitted in respect of services rendered to insured patients. Vhi Healthcare has a duty to its members to ensure that all doctors registered on the Vhi Doctor File are duly accredited and validated before benefits are paid to them for services rendered.

Q:  What are the benefits of registering with Vhi Healthcare?

A: Once a Locum Consultant or a Consultant (hereafter referred to as a Consultant) is registered on Vhi Healthcare’s Doctor File they are assigned a Vhi Doctor Code number which is their unique reference number. This number should be included on the Consultant’s invoices. He/she may commence treating Vhi insured patients in the hospitals to which they are attached and submitting their invoices through the hospital direct payment system.

Only Consultants registered with Vhi Healthcare receive a copy of the Schedule of Benefits for Professional Fees, the document which details the professional fee benefits available from Vhi Healthcare. This document is updated regularly as new procedures are approved for benefits by Vhi Healthcare and older, obsolete procedures are deleted. Updates to the Schedule are issued to Consultants in the relevant speciality. Consultants registered with Vhi Healthcare have direct access to Vhi’s Medical Relations Department, which is responsible for provider affairs and to the Provider Support unit of Vhi’s Claims Division, which is responsible for claims queries.

Consultants registered with Vhi Healthcare are paid directly to their bank account on a certain date each month with the value of properly collated invoices which have been assessed to be eligible for payment by the Vhi’s Claims Division.

Q: When should I arrange to register with Vhi Healthcare?

A: Consultants are advised to contact Vhi Healthcare immediately upon being appointed to a post that enables them to engage in private practice. Only Consultants registered with Vhi Healthcare can received professional fee benefits for claims assessed. It is essential therefore that a newly appointed Consultant contacts Vhi Healthcare and gets registered on the Vhi Doctor File before they commence treating insured patients. Otherwise, it may not be possible for Vhi Healthcare to retrospectively pay professional fee benefits to a doctor for services rendered to Vhi insured patients.

Q: How do I get registered on the Vhi Doctor File?

A: To make a request you can contact Vhi Healthcare by telephone on LoCall 1890 44 44 44 or you can contact the Medical Relations Department directly by email at medical.relations@vhi.ie. You are advised to contact Vhi Healthcare as soon as you have been appointed as the process of registration may take 2 weeks depending upon your situation and your documentation.

Q: What information do I need when I contact Vhi Healthcare?

A: The following information will be requested from you when you contact Vhi Healthcare with a request to be registered on the Vhi Doctor File:
• Full name;
• Correspondence Address and Hospital or Practice address;
• Contact number and email address;
• Details of your registration with the Medical Council of Ireland, including your registration number
• Details of your specialty and your current hospital post (Locum/Permanent/Temporary)
• Contract Type if employed under the HSE (Type A, B, B* or C)

Q: Do I have to fill in any forms or provide any documentation?

A:Yes you do. Within ten days of making your request you will receive a Vhi Doctor Registration Pack which will include:

• Doctor registration form;
• An Agreement Form for the Full Cover Scheme;
• Direct Payment mandate.
• The forms must be completed and returned to Vhi Healthcare together with:

1. A copy of your current CV;
2. A copy of the HSE letter of approval for your post if working in a public hospital
3. A letter confirming your rights to private practice privileges for any private hospital that you intend to work in
4. Copy of the following sections from your Consultants Contract 2008 if applicable:
5. Section 2 – appointment and tenure (page 6);
6. Section 5 – contract designation (page 8);
7. The signed section confirming acceptance of the contract.
8. Copy of your Specialist Registration Certificate from the Medical Council.
9. Copy of passport/driving licence, showing a photograph and signature

Q: Why does Vhi Healthcare need these details?

A: Vhi Healthcare has a duty to its insured members to ensure that all Consultants and Locum Consultants registered on the Vhi Doctor File are checked and validated as being specialists duly registered with the Medical Council of Ireland and having their details properly listed in the appropriate Division of the specialist register maintained by the Medical Council. In addition, Vhi Healthcare needs to check that all Consultants and Locum Consultants registered on the Vhi Doctor File hold or have held a public hospital Consultant post in this jurisdiction and/or that they meet Vhi Healthcare’s definition of a Consultant. A registration pack will not be issued to a doctor who is not included on the specialist register maintained by the Medical Council of Ireland.

Q: Are there are particular issues that a Locum or Temporary Consultant appointee needs to be aware of?

A: Yes there are. The Locum or Temporary Consultant needs to ensure that the post that they are about to fill has been approved by the HSE and, in the case of a Locum, that they are sure that the post was formerly held by a Consultant registered with Vhi Healthcare. If the Locum or Temporary Consultant post exceeds a period of three months then the extension of that post beyond three months must be supported by documentation that shows the extension of the appointment has been approved by the appropriate HSE body.

How to inform VHI Healthcare about new procedures or treatments.

Q: What is the procedure for the inclusion of new procedures or treatments in the Schedule of Benefits for Professional Fees?

A: There are various ways through which a Consultant can make a request for the inclusion of a new surgical procedure or medical therapy to Vhi Healthcare.

The request can be made through the Consultant’s specialty or faculty group or through his/her medical representative organisation. Alternatively the Consultant can contact Vhi Healthcare by telephone on LoCall 1890 44 44 44 or by surface mail or by e-mailing the Medical Relations Department directly at medical.relations@vhi.ie.

A Consultant should always contact Vhi Healthcare in advance of performing a new operation or in advance of providing a new medical therapy so that the new service can be evaluated by Vhi Healthcare. When contacting Vhi the Consultant will need to provide full details of the new service in a report and this should be supported by peer-reviewed medical articles and any other appropriate documentation. These details will be review and evaluated by Vhi Healthcare’s medical advisors and the Consultant will be informed as to the outcome of such a review.

Q: Are there accepted standards procedures should meet before they are considered for inclusion in the Schedule of Benefits for Professional Fees?

A: Only evidence based medicine and procedures whose safety and efficacy have been proven internationally, and that are accepted as best medical practice, will be are considered for inclusion. Procedures that are regarded as in development or that are experimental, will not be covered by Vhi Healthcare.

Q: Is there a value threshold for the inclusion of procedures in the Schedule of Benefits for Professional Fees?

A: Yes, procedures where Vhi Healthcare estimate the professional fee value to be lower than a consultation are not included in the Schedule of Benefits for Professional Fees.

Q: Is there a form to be completed when making a request for inclusion of a new procedure?

A: Yes, there is a new procedure evaluation form which can be obtained from the Medical Relations department of Vhi Healthcare by contacting them at LoCall 1890 44 44 44 or by e-mailing them directly at medical.relations@vhi.ie.