Casualty units in Ireland are notoriously busy and, with recent changes to some A&E services, those that remain open will presumably only get busier.

Last year, up to 100,000 people, suffering from broken bones, cuts or unexplained pains, chose to avoid a tedious wait in a public hospital and instead dug out their credit card and headed for one of the growing number of private emergency departments around the country.

Choosing the speedy but potentially pricey option is particularly tempting for those of us who have to arrange for siblings to be cared for while they attend to the injured child.

And if, like me, you are a mother of three small boys, these minor mishaps crop up with alarming regularity.

So when disaster strikes, where can you go and, more to the point, how much will it cost to avoid the queues if you don't have private health insurance?

A survey by the 'Irish Independent' shows that for uninsured patients, there are considerable price variations between one A&E and another.

As soon as you walk in the door, costs are higher than in public hospitals where the emergency department fee is now €100 (unless you have a referral letter from a GP).

But it is the sum of the treatments, such as x-rays, scans and other procedures, which can see your bill shooting up.

For instance, getting a broken arm seen to will cost a patient about €275 in one the Vhi's Swiftcare clinics and over €300 in the Blackrock Clinic or Beacon Hospital.

But the Blackrock Clinic has said patients wait an average of just over 12 minutes to be seen and will then be assessed by a consultant and not a jaded junior doctor.

The Beacon Hospital's emergency department is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday inclusive.

Procedures

Blackrock, which caters for patients over the age of 14, has a cap of €500 on the cost of diagnostic testing for a single visit, no matter how many procedures a patient requires. That limit is €480 for the Beacon.

The Galway Clinic, which treated almost 6,500 patients last year, charges walk-in casualties an initial consultation fee of €110, with a maximum fee for the consultation of €495.

For relatively simple accidents, one of the best value options are the Vhi Swiftcare Clinics in Cork (City Gate, Mahon) and in Dublin (Dundrum and Swords).

The clinics first opened in 2005 and the appeal of their services is reflected in the fact that 70,000 people chose to pay the €125 initial consultation fee at one of their three clinics last year.

If the patient has a referral letter from their GP, they pay a reduced fee of €65. The clinics are available to all members of the public, not only Vhi customers, but those on many Vhi plans will receive a €75 benefit.

The commonest conditions presented at the clinics are soft tissue injuries, fractures, sprains and strains, respiratory problems and minor cuts.

Approximately 40pc of patients visiting the clinics have required x-rays, and the remainder have presented with other non-urgent conditions.

The Vhi Swiftcare clinics, which guarantee patients will be treated within one hour, do not treat children under one-year-old or women with pregnancy-related conditions.

Nor do they cover serious medical emergencies such as open fractures, chest pain, loss of consciousness or severe burns.

Tim McKeown, Vhi Swiftcare Clinics, says the number of people attending the three clinics is growing.

"We notice different seasons bring trends in different injuries and illnesses. Over Christmas we were inundated with customers presenting with sprains and factors from falls in the ice and snow and once the spring/summer season kicks in, we tend to notice an influx of sporting casualties.

"In addition, we also noted an increase in children being treated for injuries associated with trampoline or bouncing castle use," he says.

But while private A&E units are a good option for the treatment of minor traumas and straightforward injuries, beware of using them for what could be serious.

For instance, if you suspect a family member or friend is suffering from either a stroke or heart problems, head immediately for the A&E in a public hospital.

Scan

However, apart from life's little dramas, private hospitals and clinics also appeal to those on lengthy waiting lists for non-essential scans.

With a waiting list for ultrasound of up to six months in some parts of the country, paying privately for the diagnostic scan can offer an anxious patient immediate peace of mind. But beware, prices vary dramatically.

In most cases, the best value is available through Euromedic, the pan-European medical company. Booking through their website Euromedic.ie (which offers a 10pc discount on standard rates), patients will pay €130 for ultrasound and €200 for CT scan.

Euromedic, which has clinics in Santry, Ranelagh, Dundrum and Cork, has seen an increase in those opting to go the private care/self-pay route in that past two years. The company also offers discounts for medical card holders.

Similarly, if your doctor sends you for an MRI (a scan of the internal structures of the body), you can save €200 by going to Euromedic or Blackrock rather than the Beacon where it will cost €450.

A spokeswoman for the Beacon Hospital defended their higher pricing for a CT scan, explaining that the hospital operates a flat fee for CTs of €360 and does not charge any extra for multiple CTs, eg head, pelvis /abdomen.

In some centres, each area may be viewed as a separate site and the cost of the CT scan could amount to €700 or more."

http://www.independent.ie/health/playing-the-waiting-game-2854141.html