Admission Procedures
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Lenmed Private Hospitals provide a medical service at a fee. Payments due to the hospital are the responsibility of the patient and will depend on whether:
- The patient is admitted after presenting at the accident and emergency department and will fall into one of the remaining categories.
- The patient is fully responsible for the account – private patient
- The patient is a member of a medical aid
- Payment will be rendered by a third party such as; travel insurance, hospital plan, workman’s compensation act etc. For workman’s compensation an employer’s report and ID must be present on admission.
You will need to get an authorization number from your medical aid prior to admission. You should also ascertain the following when requesting the authorization number:
- What costs will be covered?
- What length of stay is covered?
- What are the maximum benefits and/or co-payments applicable (check whether the hospital is a designated service provider for your medical aid plan)?
- Whether a motivational letter is required.
Prior to admission you will need to discuss the entire estimated cost of your hospital stay with both your doctor and the hospital. This amount must be paid in full before or on arrival for admission as a deposit. Should a shortfall occur, you will need to pay in the difference on discharge. Please be aware that the hospital account does not include your doctor, anaesthetist, radiology etc. costs.
A direct admission occurs when you are admitted immediately or at short notice, a pre-admission is when your admission is planned for a future date (usually for a procedure). Please note that the procedure will not take place at the time you are asked to report to the hospital as there is careful planning and that needs to take place as well as facilitate time allocation for theatres, accommodate emergencies and other variances. Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, patients must not eat and drink for at least 6 hours prior to admission.
Pre-admissions for hospital procedures
The pre-admission process ensures that when you arrive at the hospital for your procedure, all the administrative and legal requirements have been taken care of. This will mean that on the day, subject to all documents and payments being in order, admission will be faster and more efficient. Preferably, you should make use of this service at least 3 days prior to admission and maternity patients should notify their medical aid within the first 2 months of pregnancy or as specified by the medical aid. Parents must ensure that their baby is registered as a dependant on their medical aid within 30 days, but we recommend as soon as possible as baby may have to be admitted.
What are the benefits of pre-admission?
- Ensures you are ready and prepared for your admission
- All administrative requirements are taken care of
- Complete the pre-admission from the comfort of your home
- Efficient admission on the day of your procedure saves you time
You may submit a pre-admission by:
- Visiting our Pre-admissions/Reception desk prior to your procedure day.
- Completing the Submission Form below.
On the day of your admission, please bring your chronic medication with you.
Submission Form
Admission documents
The following documents will be required (for all admissions):
- Patient as well as main medical aid member’s identity document / passport.
- Latest medical card or medical aid certificate.
- Doctor’s note with relevant procedure codes.
- Medical aid authorisation number.
- Any additional documents required by your medical aid/type of admission e.g. workman’s compensation act.