We’re looking for an opthalmologist in Poitiers/Limoges/Angoulême areas as my OH very likely needs a cataract operation One of the more popular clinics is run by Elsan and is a private clinic. Each eye would cost about €2000. Is it likely that the CV would cover most of this cost? We don’t mind paying some of the cost but 4000 € is not very affordable for us.
Another popular clinic is called polyclinique de Limoges again it seems very popular . Their website headlines include the phrase
La Polyclinique de Limoges : 4 pôles d’excellence !
Is poles d’excellentes an official award or just part of their advertising?
We’re finding it hard to choose and so would be interested to know if anyone has experience of these two clinics or any others in these locations
I had surgery on my back at Clinique Chenieux in Limoges about 7 years ago, couldn’t fault it and everything (except single room supplement) was paid for between Assurance maladie and my mutuelle. A few years ago, a friend had some complicated and successful eye surgery there. There is a specialised ophthalmology department there.
Although not in the area you are looking for, I recently had cataract operations at Polyclinique Inkermann at Niort. I originally had RDVs at Niort Vision Clinic and the surgeon operates at the Polyclinique (Elsan). Everything went very well indeed but the costs were more than I was originally expecting - especially as a friend had surgery several years ago (not at Niort) but she didn’t pay anything. The total costs including consultations and operations was c1560€ and I received c490€ refunds from CPAM and my mutuelle. I must give praise to the Niort Vision Clinic staff as well as the hospital staff. They all spoke English and made the operations less worrying than I was thinking they would be.
I wouldn’t say that either my friends situation or mine were any different (apart from the payment) - both operations were a success.
Good luck with the upcoming operations.
Are you having one, or both eyes? Your carte vitale will cover at most around €540, as the social security base de remboursement is €270 an eye. And you will have to have been referred by your doctor/opthalamo.
The clinic surgeons will probably practice a dépassement and be secteur 2 which is more expensive. Both of the establishments you cite are private clinics so will be similar in cost. The Elsan one will probably have extras, eg for the private room ypu spend 10 minutes in.
I am booked into the Dijon CHU (public hospital) for retinal surgery in November, and they are going to do one cataract at same time. As it’s a public hospital most of the costs will be covered.
You will also most likely have to pay for an anaesthetist’s check- up in advance. I have had to, but not sure if necessary for just a cataract.
Do you have a mutuelle?
What I haven’t been able to get clarity on () is what lens they will implant.
Yes you do see an anaesthetist for a cataract op as your local injection(s) have to be calculated according to your weight etc and any special problems. I had to only see him once as mine were done three months apart, they don’t usually do them both at the same time either as you have to wear an eye coque until the next day’s inspection. I had both done in the nearby clinic to which the surgeon is the chief opthal but all my costs were CMU-C at the time with just €20 charged for the first half day room use - you don’t go home for a few hours as they keep checking on your blood pressure and only then if someone has come to collect you.
No we don’t have a mutuelle and although she has an ordinance it’s probably over 6 months old. She has an ALD but I doubt if that helps. So thank you everyone for a lot of useful information. Although the french health system seems to be more successful than the NHS it’s also a lot more complicated!
An ordnance lasts for a year, but an ordnance for what? Just a bilan or the actual cataract operation?
If you are not in a rush think of asking your opthalamo to refer you to a hospital (CHU) which will have no dépassements honoraires, so cheaper. That is what mine did and I got an appointment 3 months later (ie next month).
I wondered whether I would get better care in a private clinic as not worried about costs, but after talking to people locally it seemed that the medical quality was equal. My initial consultation was like visiting the 7 circles of hell as it was a very hot day, and people were squeezed into every bit of a long hot corridor with not enough chairs and nurses shouting names that were incomprehensible. The wait was so long that the woman opposite me ran out of oxygen, which livened up our wait. However once I got to see the surgeon I was very impressed. He was young, but not too young, and happy to tell me his surgical experience.
I agree with @JaneJones on the public hospital front. I have had unparallelled care in Caen CHU for spinal surgery and it’s one of the top 5 in the country for this sort of thing, The outpatients appointments are tardy and irritating but the in-patient care is excellent. The cost was arounf 16000 euros of which I ended up being billed for 9 euros (heaven knows what for but I’m not complaining!)
However, I am about to have a cataract done in a private facility as the local public hospital seems to send all those patients there (similar for coloscopies incidentally). The dépassement is 100 euros, which I can manage so am not too bothered.
) is what lens they will implant.