Frequently Asked Questions

The EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive is an equalisation of healthcare across Europe and allows an EU citizen to travel to another EU country for treatment, and their home government will issue a refund for the cost of this treatment.

• We locate the best hospitals, surgeons that are the right fit for your requirements.
• We assist you with gathering pre travel requirements, like blood tests, scans, GP referral letter, etc.
• We liaise with your GP and diagnostic centre to gather your pre travel medical documents.
• We organise your hotel and travel booking.
• We meet you in all Irish airports before departure and EU Airports on arrival.
• We provide transfers from the airport to your hotel and hospital.
• We look after all your paperwork.
• We liaise with the HSE on your behalf and ensure your refund application form is submitted.

Every citizen is entitled to use the cross border directive whether you have health insurance or a medical card you don’t need to be on a waiting list. This scheme is available to any person that would be entitled to treatment in an Irish hospital. You simply need a referral letter from your GP.

Under the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive scheme, the HSE will provide a refund for the patient’s consultation, treatment and rehabilitation, when they receive this treatment in another EU country, and up to the amount it would cost the HSE to perform this treatment in Ireland. See full HSE admitted patient price list. And Day case procedure list.

It may take up to 14 weeks on receipt of the completed application and all supporting documentation.

The diagnostics depends on the type of treatment you need. We will organise X Rays, MRI scans, ECGs and blood tests, where necessary.

Yes. While you are abroad, you will visit the hospital for dressing changes and follow up consultation before you travel home. After you return home to Ireland, you are under the care of the HSE. Click here to see a short HSE video that explains the process.

We do not charge anything, in hindsight we are a ‘sales and marketing team’ for the hospitals abroad, and as we bring so many patients we then get paid from them.

Patients receive an email with all details of their surgery, the name of the Hospital & Surgeon, this is also itemised with a full breakdown of costs. The patient also receives an email with all their accommodation details, where they are staying and also the costs involved.

We currently have the largest network of hospitals over Europe. We have a large amazing team that is always just a phone call away for any questions. We have a large media presence. HCA has top class hospitals with JCI international accreditation, also each hospital has to be acute with full ICU & emergency department.

You don’t have to go anywhere, but currently in Ireland there is list of 842,000 people waiting to have a surgery or a procedure done. This process of sending a patient abroad is the exact same as referring a patient for example to Beaumont, or any other private clinic. Even though the patient is in Spain you are always under the care of the HSE. Ireland has a great Healthcare Systems with fantastic doctors but the waiting lists are just too long and especially for public patients, could be a postcode lottery for some people.

Healthcare Abroad will engage directly with your GP to gather the required information as part of your pre travel assessment.

Healthcare Abroad will schedule all your appointments and share this with you.

Healthcare Abroad will complete your HSE refund application form and ensure all the required documentation (boarding passes, hotel receipts, hospital invoices, etc.) are included.

You can apply for the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which will allow you to receive treatment in a public hospital free of charge for any emergency. Travel insurance policies offer other benefits to help with lost luggage, stolen valuables, etc., but this is not necessary for medical emergencies if you have the EHIC.

About 50% of patients travel with companions. Some patients travel with partners, spouses, children, or friends. We meet you at the airport and provide all your transport needs, so you don’t need to travel with a companion. We will take good care of you.

You can travel with a British passport, but you should bring along proof of Irish residency, like your Irish drivers license, utility bill, or bank statements.

One of our Healthcare Abroad team will meet you in the Airport at the disability area (OCS) on the departures level. Please arrive 2.5 hours before departure. Please call us if you cannot find this area.

There will be a member of staff from Healthcare Abroad who will drive you to and from your hotel – you will also be driven to and from your hospital appointments.

Your accommodation will be booked by Healthcare Abroad depending on your needs such as which hospital you will be staying and depending on your surgery.

We securely speak with doctors, consultants, surgeons or other medical professionals through HSE's own Health mail which is highly secure and only accessible to healthcare professionals. To upload images eg Xray's or MRI's we use another very secure encrypted system call ZED technology this is a similar system used by Affidea around Ireland.

You as a patient Never leaves the care of the HSE. If you go home in a different county, you can refer back to your own GP or if needed your local A&E department. If you feel like you need an answer from your surgeon, or have a new Xray/scan they need to look at we can alwasy forward them onto the consultant for you.    

We can confidently say our infection rate post-surgery is below 2% but if at any time day or night our drivers/carers/patient liaison officers are on hand to bring the patient back to hospital if needed, and our accommodation for patients has been carefully chosen to be very close if not next door to the hospital where they have had their procedure. With our 5 star private hospitals we can also insure the patient will have little or no waiting time to be seen ASAP.