A new consultation would be for 35 to 40 minutes approximately and somewhat lesser for a review consultation although Mr Bhatta ensures you have had a chance to discuss all your queries. It is advisable to bring along a list of your medications and any recent optician’s reports that you may have, especially if the referral was not directly from your optician, for example from your GP or you had self-referred yourself.
For self-pay patients new consultation fees are £250 and for a review consultation it is £150. The Albyn hospital will invoice you directly after your appointment is over although you may need to give your bank card details as security prior to your consultation. For insured patients, the fees vary depending on which insurer you are with. Usually you would be required to obtain a pre-authorisation code from your insurer for your consultation and any procedures that may need to be carried out.
There are 3 different ways to book an appointment. Option 1 – your optician can send an electronic email referral directly to Mr Bhatta or to the Albyn hospital appointments team signposted for Mr Bhatta’s attention. Option 2 – your own GP can send a referral on your request. Option 3 – you can choose to self-refer yourself by using the enquiry form on this website or telephone Mr Bhatta’s secretary on 01224 577454 or Albyn hospital appointments team on 01224 577400 or BMI National Enquiry Centre on 0808 101 0337 to make an appointment .
Mr Bhatta is a ‘fee-assured Consultant’ for BUPA patients and is equally happy to see patients with other insurers for example Aviva, PPP-AXA, WPA, Benenden, Vitality, CIGNA, PruHealth and others.
Patients will need to clear with their insurers the authorisation codes for consultations and any procedures or surgeries that may be required. The Albyn billing team who does the invoicing on behalf of Mr Bhatta will request you for this information.
Occasionally, some surgeries (for example special premium intraocular lens implants for cataract surgery) are often not covered by many insurance companies in which case patients will need to pay an ‘excess’ which will be advised beforehand during your consultation. On other occasions should the insurance company not cover any particular surgery at all, patients may need to self-fund for the procedure which will also be advised in advance.
Mr Bhatta has more than 19 years of experience in cataract surgery and has performed more than few thousand successful cataract surgeries. He specialises in complex cataract surgery in glaucoma patients which often requires sub-specialist expertise. Mr Bhatta also specialises in glaucoma laser treatment (selective laser trabeculoplasty and YAG laser iridotomy) and other glaucoma surgeries including the newer micro-invasive glaucoma surgery for example the iStent inject®.
For self-pay patients who fund their own treatment, the Albyn hospital offers a composite price for cataract surgery which includes the costs of admission, theatre charges, implant charges, surgeon’s fees and postoperative medication, in other words all costs for the day. A cataract surgery under a local anaesthesia would cost £2500 circa, and under a general anaesthesia £3250. If a patient decides to opt for special Toric or Multifocal premium implants the prices will be approximately £700 to £1100 circa higher if performed under local anaesthesia and £1400 to £1850 circa higher if performed under a general anaesthesia.
The cost of minor procedures like eyelid lesions or cysts vary between £300 to £800 circa depending on the procedure which include the hospital charges and surgeon’s fees combined together.
For insured patients the prices are different since they are paid by the insurance companies directly to the Albyn hospital as per agreements between the two parties. Patients need to provide the Albyn hospital with the preauthorisation code for the specified surgery.
For costs of other surgeries, you could call BMI Albyn on 01224 595993 and request to speak to the billing team. Alternatively, there is a National BMI National Enquiry Centre on 0808 101 0337.
Approximate charges. SLT laser for glaucoma costs £850 for one eye and £1280 circa for both eyes. YAG laser iridotomy costs £1190 per eye. YAG laser capsulotomy costs £600 for one eye and £1110 circa for both eyes. These prices include Albyn hospital charges and the consultant fees combined together.
It is a well-known fact, there is no absolute guarantee with any surgery and it is no exception for eye surgery. In the rare event of a complication, it can be mostly managed safely and effectively by your consultant during the time of the operation and a good visual outcome can be expected, nonetheless. In the very unlikely event if a further second procedure is necessary, Mr Bhatta will organise this so that continuity of care is maintained. Details will be fully discussed in advance on an individual basis. Extremely rarely patients may need to be transferred to the NHS if further urgent treatment is necessary for more complex patients.
Patients can contact Mr Bhatta directly by using the enquiry form on this website or alternatively call his private secretary at the Albyn hospital on 01224 577454.