Quote Originally Posted by SunnyJim View Post
It seems if I have bucked the trend by tendering but as 90% of my work load is from consultants and of that by far the biggest insurer is BUPA I (and my colleagues) felt we couldn't afford not too. Presumably those of you who haven't tendered have a much smaller % of patients who have PMI. Also we know that both the Nuffield and the BMI group have tendered. Perhaps we will regret it -who knows! I will let you all know in six months. The whole thing stinks but I am not convinced that our local competitors won't have tendered or am I convinced that BUPA will return to all of you that haven't tendered with their tail between their legs. Don't underestimate how powerful a group they are - you only need to look at how they have affected the price of diagnostics - halved the price of an MRI scan in two years! What I am really saddened/maddened by is how ineffective physioFirst and the CSP have been but I guess I wouldn't have expected anything less.
Your position is perhaps classic of anyone that did tender. It shows the precariousness of your operation and how you are already under the control of the PMI. Perhaps you'll look to strengthen your future expansions into non-reliant PMI referrals. Sorry to be so blunt but you are already enslaved in a way that saying NO to the tender is all about. Of course we understand your reasoning..

p.s. I wholeheartedly agree with your comments on the CSP and Physio First...