3 INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER To day www.independent-practitioner-today.co.uk
April 2014 Issue
60
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THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR DOCTORS WITH A PRIVATE PRACTICE
In this issue
Working with a PA
Get the best out of the crucial relationship on which the success of your practice hinges P22
ISSUES FREE!
Smoke and mirrors of SEO
Ignore the trickery of search engine optimisation and turn website visitors into payers P27
New horizons clouded?
The common questions asked by doctors starting out in private practice P46
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Sell-off shock for HCA By Robin Stride
Consultants, staff and management at HCA’s The Wellington and new £33m Platinum Medical Centre have expressed indignation after the competition body gave the company a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ ultimatum. In its long-awaited final report, the private healthcare market inquiry group ruled that HCA bosses should choose between sacrificing the London Bridge and Princess Grace hospitals or selling off the UK’s largest private hospital (The Wellington) plus its flagship diagnostic and outpatient centre instead. The first two were already under threat of a forced sale by the
Competition and Markets Auth ority (CMA) – formerly the Competition Commission. But the sudden addition of the St John’s Wood hospitals came as a complete shock. And that soon turned to disbelief when it was learned that BMI, the largest hospital group, had pulled off a great escape by not having to sell seven of its hospitals after all. HCA vowed to fight the decision all the way through the courts, saying it was confident it would win. It declared business as usual – including £120m of planned developments over the next two years, which will see London Bridge expand into London’s landmark building The Shard.
Competition ‘remedies’ Incentives/benefits ban: Restricting/banning incentive schemes and some benefits for consultants from private hospitals, especially those ‘likely to have the greatest influence on clinicians advising patients’. Greater transparency is key Fee disclosure: New measures to give patients clearer information on consultants’ fees Performance: Better data on consultants’ and private hospitals’ performance and outcomes Forced sales: Divesture of HCA’s London Bridge and Princess Grace hospitals, OR The Wellington including its Platinum Medical Centre. BMI escapes threatened sell-off of seven hospitals watchdog for private patients units (PPU): Measures to ensure arrangements between NHS trusts and private hospital operators to run/ manage a PPU to be reviewed by the CMA. It could ban some deemed to lessen local competition
In association with
Company president and chief executive Michael Neeb fumed: ‘HCA legally acquired these hospitals, in the case of the London Bridge with explicit approval by the OFT, yet now after millions of pounds of investment, it is being forced to sell. ‘The CMA’s main allegation appears to be that HCA is too successful, too efficient, too innovative. It wants to punish HCA for that success. ‘The proposed remedy sends a very disturbing signal to the market; this can only discourage future investment and innovation in healthcare, and potentially other industries, while it reduces patient access to top-quality care.’ Most of the final report’s other ‘remedies’ (see box) were as expected and they brought mixed reactions from those affected. Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations’ deputy chairman Mr Chris Khoo said: ‘We are entirely supportive of the authority’s desire to remedy
adverse effects on competition. In particular, we welcome the restriction on clinician incentive schemes that encourage patient referrals to particular facilities, and we agree with – and indeed have advocated for some time – the provision of fee estimates to patients and the availability of quality outcomes.’ Bupa Health Funding managing director Dr Damien Marmion welcomed the report, saying there were ‘some great features in it’ such as the improvement in transparency and the banning of incentive schemes. It could spur the take-up of PMI and self-pay and the whole sector needed to get together to consider private healthcare’s future. He added: ‘If we just focus on the thing that got us to here, we won’t advance any further. We need to think about what is in the customers’ interest to drive us forward. In that, I particularly focus on quality and value for money.’ n See pages 8-11 and 33
The future of Harley Street Marketing experts are developing two imaginative new initiatives to promote the ‘Harley Street’ and the ‘London’ brand to overseas patients who would consider travelling for medical treatment. Ideas to promote London aggres-
sively as a world centre of private care were thrashed out at a summit on ‘the future of Harley Street’ attended by many of the big players in private practice. ➱ Turn to full story on page 3 ➱ See special report on p12