Health insurance from Aviva, the country’s fastest growing health insurer, is the first health insurer in Ireland to provide cover for their members at the Cork Medical Centre, the new state of the art private hospital opening in Mahon, Cork City next month.
Health insurance from Aviva, the country’s fastest growing health insurer, is the first health insurer in Ireland to provide cover for their members at the Cork Medical Centre, the new state of the art private hospital opening in Mahon, Cork City next month. The new €90 million private hospital will be opened by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheàl Martin TD in Cork in on 15 October – it will be the first private hospital facility to open in the city for 30 years.
Aviva and Sheehan Medical have just completed a landmark deal which means that over 80% of Aviva customers will have access to the most advanced medical facility ever developed in Ireland. Aviva members on level four and level five will have full cover in this new facility in Cork City. As an introductory offer, full cover will also be extended to existing level two and level three members.
This is great news for Aviva members in Cork and the Munster region providing them with choice and affordable access to a cutting edge facility on their doorstep. An additional benefit that has been agreed is a "direct settlement agreement" will be in place so that Aviva members can also conveniently avail of MRI and CT scanning without having to pay upfront.
The facility will be open for out-patient procedures and scanning from 15 October building up to full capacity inpatient treatment in January. It is a technology driven hospital that will lead the field with the newest and most promising interventions for stroke, brain tumours, back pain and other sites of chronic pain.
According to James Sheehan, the chief executive of Sheehan Medical, a key factor in agreeing the deal was the fact that Aviva was the first of the major health insurers to cover the hospital, he said: “Cork Medical Centre is the most technologically advanced hospital in Ireland, but it is important that it’s also a community hospital. The efficiencies we have provided ensure that this facility is more cost effective per square foot than similar hospitals, which has allowed us to provide Aviva members with highest quality healthcare that is affordable, thus ensuring it is accessible on the majority of their health plans.”
Brian Scollard, head of provider affairs at Aviva Health Ireland said: “Cork Medical Centre is a fantastic facility, it is the most advanced hospital ever developed in Ireland and the first hospital with all private single rooms. It was therefore crucial we delivered on our customer promise to provide better access to treatment without compromise by ensuring Aviva members are the first to have access to Ireland’s newest private hospital.”
The five star facility will provide 75 single in-patient bedrooms, fully sealed with the latest in infection control. The main focus of the hospital will be surgery: there will be four ultra clean Opitz & Flierl operating theatres and a same day surgery centre with 20 out-patient beds. The hospital, which is located at the City Gate complex in Mahon Point, will have a strong focus on orthopaedic, radiology and cardiology. It will also house an intensive care unit and a neuroscience facility. International accreditation, benchmarking and auditing will be backed up with the most advanced IT network ever developed in an Irish medical facility.
Aviva is leading the market in innovation being the first insurer to contribute towards cervical cancer vaccination and the only insurer to contribute towards core stem cell preservation as part of their maternity benefits. Aviva members enjoy better access to state of the art facilities such as the Cork Medical Centre, Aviva strives to be the first insurer to provide cover for the latest advances in medicine for their members. Aviva has also launched a national clinical research programme on the treatment of breast cancer in association with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) allowing for the creation of Ireland’s first National Breast Cancer Bio Resource of tissue and serum samples.
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About Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited
Aviva Health Insurance Ireland Limited, Ireland’s fastest growing private health insurer, is a division of Aviva Group Ireland plc, Ireland’s leading insurance company with 1.2 million customers across the general insurance, life and pensions and health insurance sectors.
Aviva Group Ireland plc is a subsidiary of Aviva plc. Aviva is one of the world’s largest savings, general insurance and investment groups with the purpose of delivering prosperity and peace of mind to its customers.
About Sheehan Medical
Sheehan Medical was set up to operate private hospitals in the UK, Britain and mainland Europe. The company is operated by chief executive, James Sheehan, and his father Dr Joseph Sheehan C M, who is chairman.
Sheehan Medical’s aim is to bring best practice in US medical techniques and standards to Ireland. The company prides itself in combining the operation of first class medical facilities with a successful business model. The unique share holding structure allows doctors and consultants to buy into the ownership of their hospitals and share in the financial success.
An active surgeon for over 35 years Sheehan Medical’s chairman, Dr Joseph Sheehan, along with his brother Dr Jimmy Sheehan, both Dublin natives, were two of the founders of the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin, which opened in 1984. In January 2006, he was part of a small group that purchased the controlling interest in the Blackrock Clinic from BUPA. An €80 million expansion project is currently underway.
In 2004 he again partnered with his brother Jimmy to open the Galway Clinic, which received international recognition and re-established Dr Sheehan’s commitment to raising healthcare standards through dedication to quality improvement and technological advances. Further information can be found by visiting www.sheehanmedical.com.