Questions and answers: Bupa recognition
Here are answers to some questions you may have about applying for Bupa recognition. We hope that, together with the information on our website, it’ll explain everything you need to know about working with us, providing care for our customers, and how we can support you.
Bupa recognition can help you build and promote your practice. It enables you to:
- increase the profile of your practice on our website Finder, an online directory of Bupa recognised healthcare professionals and healthcare services
- receive agreed fees for the care and treatment that you provide
- receive payment of your online invoices with seven days of approval using the secure BACS system
- access our Providers Online website which offers all the information you need to manage your relationship with us
Bupa recognition is a mark of quality. It offers our customers reassurance that they're getting access to high quality healthcare, customer service, and value for money, and that the clinicians who treat them are competent and experts in their field.
Clinicians who are Bupa recognised meet the medical professional standards set by their appropriate regulatory body and any relevant specialist bodies. Our recognition is built on a uniform set of criteria that are in line with legal and regulatory requirements to practise in the UK.
The fees we agree with you are the rates up to which you can claim for treating Bupa customers. We agree fees as part of Bupa recognition to make sure that we pay a fair price for treatment on behalf of our customers who pay for clinicians’ fees through their premiums.
With competing pressures on disposable incomes and business costs rising, our customers expect us to manage healthcare costs on their behalf so that their health insurance remains affordable and they don’t need to cancel their policies.
Unfortunately we’re unable to guarantee volumes of patients. However, we can help you promote your private practice through Finder, our comprehensive directory of Bupa recognised healthcare professionals and healthcare services. It’s a great way to promote your practice to our customers, GPs and the general public because it receives over 100,000 visits each week.
We’re committed to giving our customers access to high quality affordable healthcare. As part of this, we agree consultation fees with clinicians individually and continually review Bupa Benefit Maxima for in-patient fees. We’ll seek your feedback if we’re considering any changes in your speciality.
Find out what consultants can invoice us for, how we review procedures, and how we set and agree fees.
You can apply online.
We want to give our customers accurate information about what their health insurance policy will cover. Some customers’ policies have out-patient benefit allowances, and the cost of your consultation/care will be met from that allowance, so we need to know what your fees are to be able to let our customers know whether their consultations are covered.
We looked at the fees we’ve agreed with clinicians who have applied for Bupa recognition and used them to calculate a benchmark fee.
The fees we pay clinicians for consultations reflect the differing nature of the services they provide, for example, consultant psychiatrists deliver the majority of care during out-patient consultations whereas a surgeon will deliver care in a range of settings; we offer slightly different fees based on these differences.
Yes, we’ll write to you explaining why, and you can also call us to discuss it on: 0345 600 5422^ between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
We’ll use the information to check that you meet our recognition criteria and, if you become Bupa recognised, we’ll use it to support our ongoing relationship with you.
We’ll share your name and qualifications, your specialty/sub-specialty, the hospitals and clinics where you practise (both private and NHS) and your contact details with our customers. You can manage the information we share with them by keeping your Finder profile up-to-date.
You’ll need to use an agency to obtain a DBS check and the cost varies depending on their pricing. Bupa does not cover the costs of any DBS checks.
You can find a local agency to process your DBS check here:
If you only practise in the private sector, peer reviews may be an option, for example you could approach a consultant working in the same sub-speciality to help you with this. You could also get advice from the Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee in the hospital where you practise or from your Royal College.
We’re keen to work with consultants who can show the development and use of quality initiatives such as evidence of audit, customer satisfaction and patient information. We’ll bear these in mind when considering applications for Bupa recognition. There may be additional Care Quality Commission requirements you need to meet. You can find out about these at: www.cqc.org.uk.
