IRISH HOSPITALS SPENT more than €815,000 in the first eight months of this year on debt collection services to retrieve unpaid hospital fees from patients.

Figures released in a Freedom of Information request to Ailbhe Jordan in the Medical Independent show Beaumont Hospital in Dublin spent €165,000 between January and August – more than twice as much as any other hospital in the country – in a bid to track down unpaid bills.

The Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore and Wexford General Hospital were the next highest-spenders at €54,302 and €22,132 respectively.

One company alone, Legal & Credit Management Services, was paid more than €360,000 for its debt collection services by hospitals around the country.

Figures from 2011 show that Irish hospitals were owed more than €7 million in unpaid fees from Accident and Emergency Departments. Patients are charged a standard fee of €100 for visits to A&E in a public hospital unless they are referred by a GP or have a medical card.