CH(12)02
31 January 2012
Dear Colleague
Notification of changes to treatment fees: no charge for frozen cycles following eSET from 1 April 2012
In September, I wrote to tell you about a 28% reduction in treatment fees for all centres, which was introduced in October 2011. I now have the pleasure of formally notifying you about a further fee reduction, which supports our policy on reducing the incidence of multiple births following IVF.
Over the past few years, there has been a move towards regarding a full cycle of IVF treatment as including both the fresh embryo transfer and any subsequent frozen embryo transfers. Increasingly, NHS treatment is funded in this way and I know that some centres charge self-funded patients on this basis too. We support this move, as it reinforces the ethos of the ‘One at a Time’ initiative.
So, from 1 April 2012, all full cycles of IVF in which the initial transfer was an elective single embryo transfer (eSET) will be charged one single fee of £75, regardless of a how many frozen embryo transfers follow. In effect, all transfers following an initial eSET will not be charged.
How the reduction will work in practice
Our approach to implementing this fee reduction has been to make it as simple as possible and to avoid adding to your workload – and to ours. We have therefore amended our billing system so that we charge the correct fee without your staff having to change the way they fill in treatment forms. However, the reduction will only work smoothly if you complete the relevant forms correctly. Please ensure that eSET cycles are correctly identified at section 19 of the treatment form.
A simple, automated system inevitably means that some, more complex situations cannot be included. However, I’m pleased to say that we have managed to keep exclusions to a minimum. These are:
- cycles using donated embryos; and
- cycles using embryos which have been moved from another centre or from abroad between the first and subsequent embryo transfers.
Passing on the fee reduction
Those centres which pass on HFEA treatment fees to their patients are expected to pass on this fee reduction in the same way. We will, between now and 1 April, be informing patient organisations of the fee reduction, so patients may already be informed about the change.
What you need to do
Please prepare to implement the fee reduction by making changes to your information for patients and to your billing processes. Annex A to this letter sets out in more detail the transfers which will not in future be charged. Please make sure that all appropriate staff in your centre are familiar with this information.
Annex B sets out some likely questions and their answers. If you have any further questions, please contact register@hfea.gov.uk with the subject title ‘eSET Discount Billing’.
Yours sincerely
Professor Lisa Jardine CBE
Chair
Annex A: Qualifying cycles
The table below shows the transfers that will not be charged the standard £75 treatment fee. All other transfers will be charged a fee of £75.
| Transfer | Embryo transfer | Cycle outcome | Date of transfer | Fee |
| First (fresh or frozen) | eSET | Any | On or after 1 April 2008 | £75 |
| Second (frozen) | Any number of embryos | Any | On or after 1 April 2012 | £0 |
| Third and subsequent (frozen) |
Any number of embryos |
Any | On or after 1 April 2012 | £0 |
Qualifying criteria
- All embryos must derive from the same egg collection
- Embryos must have been kept at the same centre since they were created
- The first, chargeable, transfer must be correctly identified as eSET by checking the box at section 19 of the treatment form
Exclusions
- Transfers using donated embryos
- Embryos created at another centre (whether in the UK or abroad)
Annex B: Q&A
Q: We have a number of patients who had an eSET after 1 April 2008 and who have had subsequent transfer between then and 1 April 2012 – do we get a refund for the subsequent transfers?
A: No. Subsequent transfers must take place on or after 1 April 2012. If the patient returns for another subsequent transfer after 1 April 2012, there will be no charge.
Q: Transfers using donated embryos do not qualify, but what about transfers using donated gametes?
A: Transfers using donated gametes (whether one or both sets of gametes) do qualify, as do embryo transfers in a surrogacy arrangement. The qualifying criterion is that embryos are created for that recipient.
Q: The patient had a baby after her first, elective single embryo transfer and is now returning for a frozen embryo transfer. Will that transfer be charged a fee of £75?
A: No. It doesn’t matter whether the first transfer had a successful outcome or not.
Q: The patient had a first, elective single embryo transfer and is returning for a subsequent transfer. Does it need to be an eSET to qualify for the zero rate?
A: No. As long as the first transfer was an eSET, any number of embryos can be transferred in subsequent transfers.
Q: We forgot to check the eSET box on the treatment form for the first transfer, even though it was an eSET. Can I correct the treatment form and still avoid being charged for subsequent cycles?
A: Yes, but only if you correct the form before any subsequent cycle takes place.
Q: We checked the eSET box on the treatment form by mistake (it wasn’t in fact an eSET) and haven’t been charged for a subsequent cycle. Will we be invoiced for the £75?
A: Yes. Once you correct the form, we will invoice you for the £75 you should have paid.
Page last updated: 17 August 2012