Questions and answers

We automatically set you up a Providers Online account when you become recognised. If you don’t have your log in details, please call us on 0345 755 3333* between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

If you’re the named consultant or therapist on your Bupa recognition, you’re the “account holder”. If you’re managing an account on behalf of a hospital or clinic, you’re a “super user”. Both the “account holder” and “super user” can use all the features in Providers Online. They can also set up the other users, known as “delegate users”, and decide which Providers Online features to give other users access to. The “account holder” is also responsible for removing any “super users” who no longer work for them.

The “account holder” or “super user” manages the account and can use all the features in Providers Online. They also set up other users, known as “delegate users”, and decide which Providers Online features they’re able to use.

There can be multiple “delegate users”, but only one “account holder” or “super user”. The “account holder” or “super user” is also responsible for removing any users who no longer work for the hospital, clinic, practice or healthcare professional.

The “account holder” or “super user” can carry out all tasks on Providers Online. They can also decide which tasks each “delegate user” can carry out on the website and do this in the “Manage my users” tab. They can give “delegate users” access to the various functions, for example ‘view only’ or full ‘view and edit’. The “account holder” or “super user” is also responsible for removing any users who no longer work for the hospital, clinic, practice or healthcare professional.

“Delegate users” need to be granted permissions for the different functions available in Providers Online depending on their role.

You can set up as many “delegate users” as you need.

Yes, you can be a “super user” or “delegate user” for more than one hospital, clinic or practice. It’s up to the hospital, clinic or practice to decide whether there’s likely to be a conflict of interest if their users also act for others.

No, your username and password details will be the same for any account you have access to. Once logged in, you’ll be able to switch between the hospitals, clinics or practices that you support.

You can have different levels of access for each hospital, clinic or practice. This means that although your login details are the same, your view of the Providers Online features may vary for each account depending on the task you have permission to carry out.

If you wish to be set up as a “delegate user” for another account, please speak to the “account holder” or “super user” for that hospital, clinic or practice.

Please use the ‘forgotten username’ or ‘forgotten password’ links on the login page.

Yes, you can change all your details on Providers Online except for your username. Go to the ‘Manage my user profile’ page.

The “account holder” or “super user” can change the tasks that “delegate users” can carry out at any time by going to “manage my delegate users”. Don’t forget to let them know about any changes before they next login as their view of the website features may change.You can also remove delegate users when they no longer need access, go to “manage my delegate users” to do this.

Please make sure that you remove them from your account when they no longer need access, go to “manage my delegate users” to do this. It’s the responsibility of “account holder” to remove any users who no longer work for them.

We suggest that the “account holder” or “super user” makes sure that while they’re away any critical Providers Online functions are shared with their “delegate users”.

• If you work for a hospital or clinic: please email: [email protected] to let us know the name of the “super user” who has left and the name and email address of the new “super user”. We’ll update the details for you and send the new “super user” their log in details.
• If you’re a consultant or therapist: please complete the POL application form. Simply click ‘register’ on the POL login page at: www.bupa.co.uk/providers-online .
• If you work for a consultant or therapist: please ask them to give you access.

Yes, if you enter the wrong username or password three times in a row, you’ll be locked out of Providers Online. If this happens, you’ll need to wait 30 minutes before you can unlock the account.

If a hospital, clinic or practice has allowed you to act as their “super user” and you’re leaving, please email: [email protected] to let us know that you’re going and the name and email address of the new “super user”. We’ll update the details for you and send the new “super user” their log in details.

If you’re a “delegate user”, the “account holder” or “super user” should remove your account access on the day you leave. They can do this easily by going to “manage my delegate users”. Please note, each “account holder” and “super user” is accountable for the security of the user credentials (username and password) created for both their own account and those of any “delegate user” accounts they set up.

We take information security very seriously. We use industry standard security to make sure that any changes you make via the web are secure. Providers Online security has also been independently checked and approved.

You just need access to the internet. Providers Online is compatible with most web browsers, including Internet Explorer (versions 11 and above), Mozilla Firefox (latest version) and Google Chrome (latest version).

You can download the latest browsers at Microsoft, Mozilla and Chrome websites.

Your web session will time out if you haven’t used the site for 20 minutes. You’ll need to log in again and will lose any edits from the previous session.

You can use the ‘Search members and pre-authorisations’ function to see details of any pre-authorisations linked to your Bupa recognised hospital, clinic or healthcare professional that are less than two years old.

Here are the steps:

1) Select either Basic Member Search or Search with Policy Number from the dropdown on the page.

2) Enter the requested information and press Search.

3) This will return the patient’s policy information, as well as allowing you to see any treatment they’ve pre-authorised with you.

If the search doesn’t return any results and you have tried the other search methods as well, there are a couple of reasons this might happen:

1) The patient hasn’t pre-authorised any treatment with you and needs to contact us for a new preauthorisation or to update an existing one.

2) The details entered are incorrect and you’ll need to ask the patient for the correct policy details.

3) The patient doesn’t have Bupa cover.

You can use the ‘Search members and pre-authorisations’ to see what treatment is linked to your Bupa recognised hospital, clinic or healthcare professional.

Here are the steps:

1) Select Search with Pre-Auth number from the dropdown on the page.

2) Enter the requested information and press Search.

3) This will return the patient’s policy information, as well as allowing you to see any treatment they’ve pre-authorised with you.

If the search doesn’t return any results and you have tried the other search methods as well, there are a couple of reasons this might happen:

1) The patient hasn’t pre-authorised any treatment with you and needs to contact us for a new preauthorisation or to update an existing one.

2) The details entered are incorrect and you’ll need to ask the patient for the correct policy details.

3) The patient doesn’t have Bupa cover.

Use ‘Search members and pre-authorisations’ to find the pre-authorisation, then click on it to display details of the treatment. You’ll only be able to see the details if it is linked to your Bupa recognised hospital, clinic or healthcare professional.

You can find our Schedule of Procedures and impairment codes, as well as our separately chargeable drugs and prosthesis lists, at: https://www.bupa.co.uk/healthcare-professionals/pol-latest-updates

You might find that a patient shows as “inactive” when you've searched for them or are submitting an invoice, even their contract dates imply that their policy is still active. This happens when they end their cover midway through the policy year. Once the policy is showing “inactive”, the patient no longer has Bupa cover so you’ll need to contact them about payment.

Please select the forms tab in Providers Online. This will then open another window where you can choose the form you need from the dropdown. Please provide as much detail as possible so we can check whether the proposed treatment is covered by the patient’s policy. Once you’ve completed the form, press submit.

We appreciate that our Schedule of Procedures can’t address every potential medical situation for all Bupa patients. So we’re happy to review uplift requests where a procedure is more complex or multiple consultants operate on a patient during the same theatre session.

Please make sure that the patient has pre-authorised the procedure before going ahead, as we’re unable to pay uplifts and two handed surgery requests for procedures that haven’t been. You can review all pre-authorisations linked to you by logging into Providers Online.

After the surgery, please complete the Complex surgery fee uplift request form, which you can find in the forms section of Providers Online, and send us copies of the anaesthetic charts and operation notes by secure email^ to [email protected] . We’ll usually get back to you within five working days to let you know whether we can confirm an uplift. If we’re unable to do so, we’ll pay the usual fee for the procedure. You can find more information about requesting an uplift in section 8.4 of the Essential Notes of our Schedule of Procedures.