To claim using your private medical insurance, you'll most likely need  to ask your GP or other health professional for a referral to Benenden Hospital. In some instances it's possible to self-refer, such as when requesting physiotherapy, but you should always check with your insurer.

Before you attend hospital for consultation or diagnostic tests, it’s essential that you get authorisation from your insurance company by asking the following questions:

• Is my condition covered?
• Is each stage of my treatment covered?
• Am I covered for the planned treatment at Benenden Hospital, including my first outpatient appointment?
• Does my insurance company recognise the Consultant I've chosen?
• Is there an excess payable on my policy?

Medical insurance companies

We're recognised by the major insurance companies listed below. If your insurance company isn’t listed, call your insurer and ask for a referral to Benenden Hospital.

• Aviva
• AXA PPP Healthcare
• BUPA
• Cigna
• CS Healthcare
• Exeter Friendly Society Ltd
• General & Medical Healthcare
• National Friendly
• Saga Health Insurance
• Simply Health
• Vitality Health
• WPA

Once you have your referral from your GP, and have contacted your insurance company for authorisation, you can call our Private Patient Team on 01580 363158 who'll give you all the information you need about the available treatments, Consultants and booking details. If you're given a pre-authorisation reference please pass it on to the team.

Before admission, we’ll write to you asking for the following details:

• Your claim form, if your claim form is already with your consultant, GP or insurance company, just let us know
• The name of your insurer
• Your membership or policy number
• Confirmation of eligibility such as a pre-authorisation or claim number (some insurers give a different reference to the treatment, and authorisation of a consultation does not necessarily mean that they have authorised the treatment that results)
• Any excess applying to your policy (most insurers will ask you to pay that direct to us).

Please bring these details to your first appointment. It’s vital that we have this information before admission because insurers may refuse to make a payment they haven’t pre-authorised. In that case, you’d be liable for the entire bill.