In his last issue, the magazine 60 millions de consommateurs has just published a survey about private clinics in France. This survey reveals that the latter are increasingly practicing fee overruns. And that the bill for the patient “is on average 30% higher than in 2011”, reveals Sylvie Metzelard, editor-in-chief of the consumerist magazine.
Surgery cataract, pose of hip prosthesis, childbirthvaginally, ablation of various and varied tumors … Of the 14.5 million operations performed in clinics in 2015, 4 million resulted in excess fees. In other words, at an invoicing higher than the rate fixed by the Social Security.
867 million fee overruns in 2015
For this study, 60 million consumers relied on data from the Technical Agency for Information on Hospitalization (ATIH). The study was carried out in partnership with the Interassociative Collective on Health (CISS).
In total, nearly 867 million euros in excess fees were billed in clinics in 2015 (compared to around 70 million euros in public hospitals). An amount up by 30% since 2011, the date of the first study of this type.
The most lucrative operation: the extraction of varicose veins
60 million consumers studied the 10 most common operations performed in the clinic. The four causing the biggest overruns are:
– L’varicose vein extraction : 135% average overshoot and a maximum overshoot of 299%
– the operation of carpal nerve release (the median nerve at the wrist): 133% mean overshoot and a maximum overshoot of 239%
– the operation of cruciate ligament of the knee : 126% of average overshoot and a maximum overshoot of 304%
– the ablation of the breast tumor : 121% of average overshoot and a maximum overshoot of 355%.
Read also :
Fee overruns: 144 euros for descaling
Three doctors convicted of excessive fees overruns
