Professor Richard Field

Procedures

Professor Richard Field offers the following surgical procedures:

• Hip Arthroscopy and Hip Preservation Surgery
• Anterior Hip Replacement
• Revision Hip Replacement
• Knee Arthroscopy
• Unicompartmental Knee Replacement
• Total Knee Replacement
• Revision Knee Replacement

General

If you have private medical insurance, your insurance company is likely to request what are known as ‘Procedure codes’ before agreeing to cover the cost of your appointments, investigations and treatment.  By and large, insurance companies will pre-approve basic investigations such as x-rays and blood tests as well as injections undertaken during your first clinic appointment.  Please confirm this with your company before your first appointment.

At your appointment Prof Field may suggest that you have one or more further imaging studies.  These could be:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI or MRA)
• Computed Tomography  (CT)
• Ultrasound (US) or Ultrasound Guided Injections.
• Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA)
• Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT CT)
• Or a special CT scan for a Motion Analysis study or manufacture of Patient Specific Instrumentation

Insurance companies normally cover the cost of the investigations listed above, with the exception of the Motion Analysis studies and the fabrication of Patient Specific Instrumentation.  These are not currently covered by any of the insurance companies.  In the event that Prof Field recommends that you have a Motion Analysis study and you agree that this would be a good idea, you will have a special CT scan and will receive an invoice from the hospital at which the CT scan is undertaken. Prof Field will normally review your imaging studies with you and use the information to help plan your surgery, if this is indicated.  If Prof Field recommends that Patient Specific Instrumentation is used for your hip or knee replacement, he will explain this strategy to you and seek your approval prior to requesting that the Patient Specific Instruments are ordered.

When surgery is recommended, there will be a code or codes specific to the operation that is planned for you.  While it is never 100% certain that the code will exactly match what is found at surgery, a discrepancy is rare.  Again, you will need to provide this information to your insurance company and obtain their approval prior to your admission. 

It is essential that you discuss surgical and anaesthetic fees before treatment.  Please contact Prof Field’s secretaries for this information.  Except for urgent and emergency admissions, procedure codes and Prof Field’s anticipated fees will be provided to you, in writing, before your admission for any surgical procedure. If you have not received this information, at least three days prior to your planned admission, please telephone Prof Field’s secretary.

If you are insured, it is important that you contact your health insurance company to discuss your proposed treatment and hospital stay as well as any other medical costs.  It is important that you find out whether all, or part, of the costs you may incur will be covered.

Likewise, if you are self funding you should be aware that there will be surgical, anaesthetic and hospital fees.  For common procedures like hip or knee replacement, it is often possible to arrange a hospital package that will cover all three costs.  Otherwise, Prof Field’s fee, the anaesthetist’s fee and the hospital charges will be billed separately by the respective parties.

If further treatment is needed due to complications or you choose other options, extra costs are likely to apply.

Please note that Prof Field’s fees have increased over the years to account for inflation and increasing administrative costs.  Likewise, insurance companies regularly review their codes and fee structures. It is possible that your policy may not fully cover your consultation or surgery fees. Please contact your insurers to discuss the level of cover that they provide for you.