Is Dr. Hugon a participating provider (in medical-mutual insurance agreement)?
No, Dr. Hugon is not a participating provider. However, surgical fees for operating room procedures follow the rates established by the medical-mutual insurance agreement. This means that for these procedures covered under the INAMI nomenclature, excluding private room charges (or patients outside the Belgian mutual coverage), patients pay zero euros in surgical fees, just as with any participating surgery in Belgium.
Why do consultation fees differ from medical-mutual insurance agreement rates?
The consultation fee covers of course medical fees, representing many years of study and experience, but also the compensation of several secretaries, a nurse, premises and equipment, and the administrative work that follows outside business hours. It is materially impossible to maintain the quality of consultation we wish to offer, dedicating the necessary time to each patient to examine, listen to and treat them, without an adapted fee.
Should INAMI rates be strictly followed, or even increased by 25%, our practice would have to close its doors. Hospital consultations that follow these rates are generally operating at a loss despite significant economies of scale, but the hospital compensates through INAMI financial support for operations that is not granted to private practices.
Is the fee based on consultation length?
No, the price is fixed according to the type of consultation, regardless of the time spent with the patient. This time is not measured. However, additional procedures are possible (i.e. corticoid or hyaluronic acid injections, casting, etc.) and are therefore billed separately.
Am I required to choose a private room?
Of course not, and this has absolutely no impact on the care you will receive or its timing. This is a myth. If, however, you have an insurance that allows you this comfort, should you wish it, you have the freedom to choose this option.
Do you keep to scheduled appointment times?
As far as possible, we try to stay on schedule. However, the care and attention provided to patients often takes longer than anticipated, therefore some delays are unfortunately unavoidable. We value quality over time.
What can I expect regarding scarring?
We do everything we can to minimize the visual impact of our surgical procedures. When possible, sutures are invisible, scars are kept as short as needed and positioned optimally to allow the procedure while remaining less conspicuous, even in cases of tattoos. However, wound healing is also individual to each patient and does not depend solely on the surgery. It is therefore not possible to predict with certainty the final appearance of scars.
Do you perform procedures in the office or only in the operating room?
Minor procedures are commonly performed percutaneously in the office (trigger fingers, Dupuytren’s) allowing for quick and comfortable relief without time loss or scarring.
Unfortunately, the law currently requires most other procedures, even simple ones like carpal tunnel release, to be performed in a hospital setting for reimbursement purposes. We will therefore arrange for these to be done in the operating room, ensuring you receive full coverage.
Do you perform PRP injections?
We do not currently offer PRP injections, as long as we consider that the current scientific evidence does not adequately support their effectiveness for our practice.