Patients' hospital bills could rise after doctors pledged to ignore a new fee schedule which they say insurers are forcing on them.

Doctors say the new structure, which started on June 1, will slash payments to some doctors by 30 to 50 percent.

Neither the doctors or the Health Insurance Association of Bermuda (HIAB) are prepared to back down, meaning patients could pick up the shortfall if doctors lose out.

The HIAB said the new method will see some doctors get paid at seven to eight percent more under the new system and they have met with various groups of specialists for more than a year to hear concerns.

HIAB President Gerald Simons said doctors had agreed five years ago the payment system was obsolete and needed changing.

He said the updated system placed a higher value on technical operations while surgery made routine by new equipment had been downgraded.

He said: “The old schedule is no longer accurate. It doesn't reflect the difficulty of the procedures.”

The two professional medical bodies - the Bermuda Medical Society (BMS) and the Bermuda Medical Association (BMA) - met yesterday with Government to discuss the changes.

After the talks Dr. Burton Butterfield of the Bermuda Medical Association said he was “not hopeful” but he said he said further comment should come from Government.

The BMA and BMS had earlier issued a joint open letter to patients outlining their concerns.

The letter said: “The HIAB are seeking to unilaterally impose a new system which is unacceptable to both physicians and Government.”

The Royal Gazette understands doctors' have asked Government to intervene and force the HIAB to continue to process insurance claims under the old codes until a new system is agreed upon.

However Health Minister Nelson Bascome said Government had not taken sides on the issue and was working to get resolution and kept costs for patients down for the average Bermudian.

He said he was expecting an update on the situation today from his Permanent Secretary and a Cabinet Committee on health care.

The HIAB wants to impose billing codes used in the United States in place of the Bermuda system used in the past.

But doctors claim the change would result in a poorer and more expensive service for patients while reducing the payments received by the medical community.

They said doctors hospital fees had not been increased by Government by more than the inflation rate in the last ten years but the HIAB denies this.

The letter to patients said: “Doctors will continue to attempt to process patience insurance claims. The HIAB may reject them, in whole or in part, leaving you (the patient) responsible for the short fall. You should seek reimbursement from your insurance provider.”

Mr. Simons said doctors had produced no evidence that some would have their payments slashed by up to 50 percent.

He said the HIAB had agreed to review the new payment system quarterly. Asked if patients would be forced to fork out more he said: “I don't know what will happen, I know patients are not used to paying for surgery. If doctors take that approach it would be a major change.

“The doctors might bill them. Whether the patient pays or not is another matter.”