Vhi Healthcare
Vhi pre-authorisation request
Some Vhi-covered procedures need prior approval, and the request comes from the consultant, in writing.
The form itself is Vhi Healthcare’s: the official form, on Vhi Healthcare’s site (link checked 24 October 2026). Below is what each person fills in, where it goes, and the document we provide beside it.
What it asks for
The request letterThe consultant completes
- Member name and Vhi membership number
- Procedure and procedure code
- Clinical indication
- Proposed hospital
- Proposed date of treatment
- Consultant name and Vhi consultant code
Where it goes
- Where a procedure needs prior approval, the Schedule of Benefits says so and Vhi will have made the consultant aware; the consultant submits a request in writing to Vhi.
- Prior approval is valid for 60 days from the date Vhi issues it; treatment after 60 days may need a new application.
- Treatment abroad needs the application at least 20 business days before treatment starts, completed by the Irish-based consultant.
Using it well
- Date the letter and diary the 60-day expiry against the proposed treatment date.
- Keep the written approval with the admission paperwork; the hospital will ask for it.
Insurer claim submission is not in Ask Brigid’s launch release.
Open it in the sample practice
The sample practice is the real Ask Brigid on invented patients, open without a sign-up. This document joins its Library with the next sample-practice update; the Library already holds the practice’s templates.
Sources
- Vhi company plan rules, 1 March 2026 (VHIMRC2), read 24 October 2026
Checked against the sources above on 24 October 2026. Issuers change their forms; check the official page before you rely on a detail here.
Questions
Who applies for Vhi pre-authorisation, the patient or the consultant?
The consultant. Vhi's rules say the consultant must submit a request in writing for pre-authorisation.
How long does Vhi prior approval last?
60 days from the date of issue. If treatment takes place after that, a new application may be required.
Does Ask Brigid send the request?
No. The companion letter is a request template the practice fills and sends itself; insurer claim submission is not in the launch release.
In Ask Brigid this paperwork sits beside the diary and the record: Letters in your house style.