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Knee arthroscopy in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
A torn meniscus, the cushion of cartilage inside the knee, can make the knee catch, lock or swell while you wait for a knee arthroscopy.
Your knee repaired without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in Spain, paid back by the HSE. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
2,266claims paid back to Irish patients in 2024
Your rights under the schemeAt the end of September 2026, 14,988 adults were waiting for orthopaedic surgery, including day-case procedures, in a public hospital in Ireland. More than one in three of them had waited longer than six months.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your knee arthroscopy in Spain, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We answer your questions and tell you how the route works for a knee arthroscopy.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral for the arthroscopy from your GP or from a consultant you saw as a public patient, or a letter showing you are on the public waiting list for it.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for a knee arthroscopy in Spain.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your knee arthroscopy, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. A knee arthroscopy is usually a day case, so the trip is short; the hospital's written plan says when you can fly.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
If you stay overnight, you meet your surgeon in person before you are admitted, as the HSE requires; for a day case you can talk by video or phone before you travel, where the hospital offers it. Then you have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to the HSE and follow it until you are paid. The HSE paid in 45 days on average in 2024.
Your aftercare at home
Your GP
Your GP and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. If your knee gives you trouble, your GP is your first contact and can refer you on.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a knee arthroscopy costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your knee arthroscopy, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back up to what a knee arthroscopy costs in the Irish public system, usually at the day-case rate, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a knee arthroscopy
The HSE pays back the cost of your knee arthroscopy up to what it costs in the Irish public system, or the invoice if that is less. The HSE pays at the rate for the setting you would have had in Ireland, where most knee arthroscopies are day cases, so it is usually the day-case rate, even if you stay a night abroad. It is paid to you after the operation, into your own account, and it does not include flights, a hotel or a companion's costs. You see the fixed price in writing before you accept; where no hospital offers a price the refund covers, we show you the difference in writing and leave the decision to you.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a knee arthroscopy in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a knee arthroscopy involves
A knee arthroscopy is keyhole surgery for damage inside the knee, most often a torn meniscus, the cushion of cartilage that can catch, lock or swell. Under a general or a spinal anaesthetic, the surgeon passes a thin camera through one small cut and fine instruments through another, and trims or stitches the torn cartilage, removes loose fragments or smooths a damaged surface.
The cuts are small and the operation usually takes less than an hour. Most people walk out the same day with the knee bandaged, and get back to normal activity over the following weeks with exercises from the hospital. The aim is a knee that moves freely without catching; an arthroscopy does not cure arthritis, so the surgeon checks first that it is the right operation for your knee.
Questions about a knee arthroscopy
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageIs a knee arthroscopy a day case?
Usually yes. Because it is keyhole surgery, you can usually leave the hospital the same day and rest at a hotel nearby. Whether you can go that day is the surgeon's decision.
Is a knee arthroscopy paid back?
Yes, when the rules are met. A knee arthroscopy is an operation the Irish public system provides, so the HSE can refund it up to the Irish public rate if you have a referral, a consultation before the operation and proof that you paid the hospital from your own account. We check your case against these rules before we propose a hospital.
What if my knee gives me trouble after I am home?
Your GP is your first contact at home and can refer you on in the public system, just as if the operation had been done in Ireland. If something is urgent, go to an emergency department. If you need to reach the hospital or the surgeon in Spain, we help you do that, and the hospital's written terms on complications are in your proposal.
Will I lose my place on the Irish waiting list?
No. The HSE's rules do not ask you to leave the list to use the scheme, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let the Irish hospital know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and the HSE pays you back afterwards, in 45 days on average in 2024. Some people use savings, help from their family or a credit union loan. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your GP takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will the HSE really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and the HSE paid 2,266 claims from Irish patients in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when the paperwork is right: the referral, the consultation, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We prepare the claim with you, and before you travel you can send the HSE a prior notification, which tells you in advance whether you are eligible and gives an indication of the amount.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
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