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Shoulder surgery abroad for public patients in the EU
Covered by your country's public health service under the Cross Border Directive.
A painful or weak shoulder can make it hard to dress, reach a shelf or sleep on that side during a long wait.
Your shoulder operation without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in another EU country, paid back by your public health service. 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
290,000claims paid back to patients across Europe in 2024
Your rights under the schemeHow long you wait for a shoulder operation depends on where you live: waiting times differ widely between EU countries, and between regions within a country. We look at your own wait with you.
Your own public health service's published waiting times; no single European figure is quoted here
Your shoulder operation in another EU country, 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 check your country's rules with you and tell you how the route works for a shoulder operation.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You usually need a referral for a shoulder operation from your own doctor, or a letter showing you are on a public waiting list for it; we tell you what your country asks for.
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 shoulder operation in another EU country, checked against your country's rules.
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 shoulder operation, 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. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
You meet your surgeon before the operation, by video before you travel or in person at the hospital, as your country's rules and the hospital allow. 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 your public health service and follow it until you are paid. How long the decision takes depends on your country; we tell you before you decide.
Your aftercare at home
Your own doctor
Your own doctor and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. Physiotherapy usually goes on for weeks or months; your own doctor can refer you in the public system, so ask before you go.
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 shoulder operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your shoulder operation, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before your public health service pays you back.
Your public health service
Pays you back up to what a shoulder operation costs in the public system at home, under your country's own rules.
The detail for a shoulder operation
For your shoulder operation, your country's public health service pays back the cost of the treatment up to what the same operation costs in the public system at home, or the invoice if that is lower, under your country's own rules; your proposal shows the expected refund. The refund reaches you after the treatment, in your own account, and travel, accommodation and a companion are yours to pay. Whether your country asks for permission in advance, called prior authorisation, we check with you on the call. The hospital commits to its price in writing before you accept; if none offers a price within the refund, we show you the gap in writing so you can decide.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a shoulder operation in another EU country can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a shoulder operation involves
The two most common shoulder operations treat a tendon that is trapped or torn. In a subacromial decompression the surgeon makes more room under the bony arch at the top of the shoulder, by removing a little bone and inflamed tissue, so the tendon can move without catching. In a rotator cuff repair the surgeon stitches a torn tendon back onto the bone and holds it there with small anchors while it heals. Both are usually done by keyhole surgery, under a general anaesthetic, often with a nerve block that keeps the shoulder numb for the first hours.
You wear a sling for a time afterwards, longer after a repair than after a decompression, because the stitched tendon needs weeks to heal onto the bone. Physiotherapy then rebuilds the movement and the strength, and it goes on for months. The aim is a shoulder you can lift, reach and sleep on again.
Questions about a shoulder operation
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 pageWhich shoulder operations does this cover?
Mainly a subacromial decompression, which frees a trapped tendon, and a rotator cuff repair, which mends a torn one. A shoulder replacement may also be possible where your public system provides it; it usually means a longer stay, and not every hospital offers it. The kind of operation decides the stay and the price, so we ask the hospital about yours and give you its answer in writing.
Can I fly home with my arm in a sling?
Usually yes, a few days after the operation, once the surgeon says you are fit to fly. With one arm out of use you will need help with luggage for a while, so it is good to travel with someone. Your surgeon decides the timing for you.
What about physiotherapy afterwards?
After a shoulder operation, physiotherapy usually goes on for weeks or months. The hospital gives you a plan to follow when you are home. Your own doctor can refer you to physiotherapy in the public system at home, so ask about it before you go, because there can be a wait.
Will I lose my place on the waiting list at home?
No. The Cross Border Directive does not ask you to leave a waiting list to use it, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let your hospital at home 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 your public health service pays you back afterwards; how long that takes depends on your country, and we tell you before you decide. Some people use savings or help from their family. 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 own doctor 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 my health service really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and 290,000 claims were paid back across Europe in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when your country's rules are met: usually a referral, any permission your country asks for in advance, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We check your country's rules with you before you pay anything, and we prepare the claim with you.
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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