What to think about before seeking care at IKEM:
What do I need to have prepared as a foreign patient before I can undergo surgery at IKEM?
- Find out whether the specific treatment/surgery is provided at IKEM (upon consultation with your own doctor in your home country)
- Consider the method for financing your healthcare, i.e. whether I am insured – ask the insurer if it covers this surgery
- Contact an IKEM doctor and consult him/her regarding the suitability/availability/feasibility of this surgery in the first stage; in the second stage, this should be based on specific medical information and indications.
- Upon agreement on the hospitalization time, provide a guarantee of payment from your insurance company, with precise specifications of what the insurance company will cover, and any lump-sum financial limit. Self-payers must make a 90% deposit of the estimated price.
- Other requirements depend on the clinic where care is sought
Healthcare
Emergency Healthcare
The European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA)
A patient (insured) from these countries is entitled to necessary care and should be treated to an extent that, based on freedom of movement and residence, does not require him/her to return to the country of insurance prior to a planned return. The treating doctor makes the decision about the provision and extent of the care received.
Any doubt as to the requisites on the part of the insurance company (relevant rather than assistant ) usually occurs in relation to more financially demanding care, which is not included as necessary care in the first instance. Necessary care is not restricted by a range of operations or dosages, but only its nature and anticipated length of the patient’s stay.
An EU patient, when providing emergency care, shows a 1* European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC), or a 1 Certificate provisionally replacing EHIC or 2 Confirmation of Registration. If a foreign insured person presents one of the above documents, the healthcare facility will treat him-her at the expense of a Czech health insurance company. The document must be valid at the time of treatment!
Nationals of countries with whom the Czech Republic has an international treaty
The recently agreed, "Treaties on Social Security" are based on the principle of insurance. This means that the care provided to a foreign insured person in the Czech Republic is paid by their foreign insurance company. However, the healthcare facility is paid by a Czech health insurance company in the first stage, which then settles these costs with the foreign insurance company. This foreign insured person must unconditionally prove 2 Confirmation of Registration, as without it care cannot be provided without direct payment.
Self-payers, nationals of other countries
Usually these are citizens of the Ukraine, tourists from non-EU countries (China, Japan, USA, Canada), etc. and they proceed as follows: The examining doctor provides the necessary care to the patient. The patient’s name, surname, date of birth, address and country of origin and nationality are ascertained from the patient’s identity document and the type of health insurance coverage. The identity document is copied once and the copy is dated and signed by a member of the staff as a document about a person who has proof of health insurance; the IKEM Health Insurance Companies Department will be informed of this without delay.
If the patient proves the existence of commercial (or other) health insurance, IKEM Health Insurance Companies Department promptly requests a guarantee of payments of costs for treatment by the insurance company of a foreign patient; on holidays or non-working days, the guarantee is obtained by the examining doctor or other responsible employee of IKEM.
This guarantee is ascertained by telephone or e-mail directly to the number or address given on the insurance policy of the emergency patient.
Before the Insurance Company provides a guarantee, only basic healthcare is provided and required.
In the event that a guarantee is provided, care is continued according to the coverage of the policy and the patient’s needs.
If the insurance is not valid or the patient refuses to sign a 3 Contract about Providing Medical Care and also refuses the simultaneous deposit of 90% of the estimated costs, the only procedures or treatment carried out will be done within the limits the relevant laws; in no case will expensive medical material provided otherwise.
If the patient signs an Agreement on the Provision of Medical Care, materials and medicines are supplied at code-book prices.
Prior to releasing the patient into home care or elsewhere, the method for final billing will be agreed upon.
Non-emergency Healthcare
Patient’s Nationality:
European Union
A person insured from the EU may show the 0 E112 Form or 2 Confirmation of Registration for outpatient or inpatient care
European Economic Area
A person insured from the EEA may show the following two methods for outpatient or inpatient care:
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0 Form E112 =
This form entitles a foreign insured person who has travelled to the Czech Republic for this purpose with the consent of the relevant health insurance company to provision of specific care. Provision of specific care should be pre-negotiated with IKEM in the majority of cases. If the foreign insured person approaches IKEM directly, without prior registration at a Czech health insurance company, doctor or administrator, they are asked to select a Czech contractual health insurance company. We immediately inform the Health Insurance Companies Department of this fact for the selected Czech contractual health insurance company. A condition for payment of the healthcare provided based on form E112 is the prior agreement on conditions of provision and payment of healthcare between IKEM and the selected Czech contractual health insurance company.
If the estimated price of healthcare is less than CZK 30,000, it is not necessary to contact the selected contractual health insurance company prior to provision of care. If the estimated price is higher, it is always necessary to contact the selected contractual health insurance company prior to provision of care. -
2 Confirmation of registration =
This Confirmation of Registration states the care to which the insured is entitled and which Czech health insurance company bears the cost of the treatment. A foreign insured person who is a temporarily resident in the Czech Republic with an estimated longer residence period, who for simplification of their situation registered at the selected Czech insurance company in advance, uses this Confirmation as ID.
Confirmation of registration is also used as ID by a foreign insured person living in the Czech Republic who are entitled to full healthcare according to Czech law. This could be, for example, a Czech worker living in the Czech Republic and working abroad. This confirmation of registration will be used for ID by their dependent family members.
IKEM provides healthcare to the extent given on the Confirmation of Registration.
Nationals of countries with whom the Czech Republic has an international treaty
A foreign national from these countries is provided only with necessary and urgent care. In the case of non-emergency care, an agreement must be negotiated in advance between the patient and IKEM.
These relevant forms must be signed:
3 Contract about Providing Medical Care
4 Supplement to Contract about Providing of Medical Care
5 Contract about Advance Payment Settlement of Medical Care
Together with this Agreement, a deposit amounting to 90% must be made for the estimated costs for provision of healthcare in cash or by bank transfer.
Self-payers, nationals of other countries
The patient is provided with healthcare only corresponding to the type and quality of his/her health insurance; in the event of a person with no insurance who refuses to pay an advanced fee, only conservative, life-saving healthcare is provided at the discretion of the doctor giving treatment.
The insured person shall complete the administrative form:
3 Contract about Providing Medical Care
4 Supplement to Contract about Providing of Medical Care
5 Contract about Advance Payment Settlement of Medical Care
In the case of non-emergency care and all details must be agreed in advance.