Medical Oncologist
Before you start
Sorting out insurance and money before you start
Start the pre-authorisation the moment the treatment plan is decided, not the week treatment begins. Insurers and government schemes need the diagnosis, the biopsy report, the treatment plan and a hospital estimate, and approval is rarely instant. Families who leave it late pay for the first cycle themselves and spend months claiming it back.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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The short answer
What paperwork has to be done before the first cycle?
Start the pre-authorisation the moment the treatment plan is decided, not the week treatment begins. Insurers and government schemes need the diagnosis, the biopsy report, the treatment plan and an estimate from the hospital, and approval is rarely instant.
Families who leave this to the last minute pay for the first cycle themselves and then spend months trying to claim it back. Reimbursement afterwards is always harder than approval beforehand, and sometimes it does not happen at all.
Cashless and reimbursement are not the same thing
Cashless means the insurer settles directly with the hospital and you pay only what is excluded. Reimbursement means you pay in full and claim later. Ask at the very start which one applies at your hospital, because it changes how much money you need to have ready.
The hospital has someone whose job this is
Ask for the insurance desk or the medical social worker on your first visit. They do this every day, they know which documents each insurer actually wants, and families who use them are approved faster than families who try to manage it alone.
Keep every original bill, prescription and discharge summary. Photograph each one the day you receive it.What to gather
The documents you will be asked for
- Policy or scheme card
- The card itself, the policy number, and the exact name of the person insured. Names spelled differently across documents are among the commonest reasons a file is sent back.
- Diagnosis and biopsy report
- The pathology report and any scan reports that establish the diagnosis. Insurers want the report itself rather than a doctor's letter summarising it.
- The treatment plan
- Written by the oncologist, stating the drugs, how many cycles and how often. This is what the approval is actually issued against, so ask for it in writing at the planning appointment.
- Hospital estimate
- A costing for the planned treatment, prepared by the hospital's billing department. Ask what it does and does not include, since scans, supportive medicines and admissions are often outside the quoted figure.
- Identity and address proof
- Aadhaar, ration card, income certificate for government schemes. Requirements vary by scheme, so ask for the exact list rather than assuming.
- Past medical records
- Particularly for anything long-standing such as diabetes, blood pressure or heart disease. Insurers ask about pre-existing conditions, and an honest, documented history is far safer than an incomplete one.
What the bill is made of
What actually drives the total
Knowing the parts makes the estimate readable and the surprises fewer. Ask the billing department which of these sit inside your approval and which do not.
The drugs themselves
The largest single element in most plans, and it varies widely with which drugs are used. Ask whether your plan uses newer agents, and whether a different brand of the same drug would be appropriate in your case.
Ask the oncologist
- Whether an alternative brand is suitable
- Never substitute at a pharmacy yourself
Day-care and administration
The chair, the nursing time, the drip set and the pharmacy handling, charged for each cycle. Predictable, and usually the easiest part of the estimate to rely on when planning.
Supportive medicines
Anti-sickness drugs, injections to support blood counts, and tablets taken at home. Frequently excluded from the quoted estimate and frequently a large share of what families actually spend.
Ask specifically
- Whether these are inside the approval
- What the home medicines will cost each cycle
Tests, scans and admissions
The baseline workup, the blood test before each cycle, the scans used to assess response, and any unplanned admission. A fever during a low-count week means an admission, and that is the commonest reason a family exceeds its estimate.
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If it goes wrong
What to do when approval is delayed or refused
What happened
What to do
Approval is taking too long
Ask the insurance desk to escalate, and get the file number
Refused for missing documents
The commonest reason, and the easiest to fix; ask exactly what is missing
Refused as a pre-existing condition
Ask for the refusal in writing, then appeal with the hospital's help
Only part of the plan is approved
Ask what was excluded and why, before agreeing to pay the rest
The sum insured runs out mid-course
Raise it early; ask about schemes, trusts and hospital support
You have no cover at all
Ask the medical social worker about government schemes the same week
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your treatment will cost. That depends on the drugs, the number of cycles, the hospital and what your cover includes, and any figure quoted here would be misleading. The hospital's written estimate is the only number worth planning against.
It cannot tell you whether your claim will be approved either. Policies differ, schemes change their rules, and decisions are made by the insurer rather than the hospital. What it can tell you is that early, complete and honest paperwork is approved more often than late paperwork.
Ask about the gap, not just the cover
The number that matters to a family is not the sum insured but what they will actually pay out of pocket. Ask the billing department to estimate that specifically, including the items sitting outside the approval.
What to do next
Meet the hospital's insurance desk this week. Get the treatment plan and estimate in writing. Start the pre-authorisation before cycle one, not after. Ask which items fall outside the approval. And keep every original document in one file from the first day.
Commonly believed
Four assumptions that cost families money
"We will sort the insurance out after the first cycle."
This is the single most expensive mistake here. Pre-authorisation before treatment is far more likely to succeed than a claim afterwards, and families who start late routinely pay for cycle one themselves and never recover it.
"The estimate is what we will pay."
Estimates usually cover the drugs and the day-care charge. Supportive medicines, scans, blood tests and any unplanned admission often sit outside. Ask the billing department what is excluded before you plan your finances around the figure.
"We should not mention the diabetes, or they may refuse."
Undisclosed history is a far stronger ground for refusing a claim later than the condition itself ever was. Declare everything, with documents. An honest file is slower to assemble and much harder to reject afterwards.
"If we have no insurance, there is nothing to be done."
Government schemes, hospital support and charitable trusts exist and are consistently underused because nobody asks. Speak to the medical social worker in the first week rather than after the money has run out.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about insurance and paperwork
When should we start the pre-authorisation?
As soon as the treatment plan is written, which is usually a week or more before cycle one. Approval takes time, and starting early is what keeps you from paying for the first cycle yourself.
What is the difference between cashless and reimbursement?
Cashless means the insurer settles directly with the hospital and you pay only the excluded items. Reimbursement means you pay first and claim later. Ask which applies at your hospital before the first cycle.
Who at the hospital helps with this?
The insurance desk or the medical social worker. Ask for them on your first visit. They know what each insurer actually requires, and files they prepare are approved faster than ones families assemble alone.
Our claim was refused. Is that final?
Often not. Ask for the refusal in writing with the reason stated. Missing documents are the commonest cause and are simple to fix. For other reasons, the hospital's desk can usually help you appeal.
Does insurance cover the supportive medicines?
Sometimes, and often only partly. Anti-sickness drugs, injections to support counts and tablets taken at home are frequently outside the approval. Ask for this specifically, since it is a large part of what families actually spend.
What if the sum insured runs out before the course ends?
Raise it as soon as you can see it coming rather than when it happens. Ask about government schemes, hospital support and charitable trusts. Options exist, and they take time to arrange.
Can we claim for treatment already paid for?
Sometimes, if you have kept every original bill, prescription and discharge summary. Reimbursement is harder than pre-approval and has time limits. Photograph every document the day it is issued.
Should we ask about a cheaper brand of the same drug?
It is a reasonable question to put to your oncologist, who can tell you whether an alternative is appropriate in your case. Ask the doctor rather than substituting anything at a pharmacy yourself.
What moves the figure
What affects the cost
Four things change the total more than anything else.
The technique used
A shaped or image-guided delivery costs more than a conventional one, and is chosen on clinical grounds rather than preference.
How many sessions
The total is driven by the number of sittings or cycles, not by a single per-visit figure.
Supporting tests
Scans, blood work and pathology done alongside treatment are billed separately.
Your cover
Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or cashless insurance usually change the out-of-pocket figure substantially.
Paying for it
Insurance, schemes and payment
What you actually pay usually differs a great deal from the sticker figure.
AarogyasriEmpanelled. Bring the card and a referral where you have one.
CGHS / ECHS / EHSAccepted at CION centres for eligible treatment.
Cashless insuranceMost major insurers are empanelled. Pre-authorisation is handled by our desk.
Self-payItemised estimate given before treatment starts. No EMI scheme exists.
Accreditation and empanelment
- NABH
- NABL
- ISO 9001:2015
- ArogyaSri empanelled
- CGHS accepted
- ECHS accepted
- EHS accepted
- Major cashless insurers
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Where to find us
Our centres in and around Hyderabad
Addressed by landmark, because that is how this city navigates. Each centre also names the areas it serves, so you can place it without a map. Consultation and day-care Chemotherapy run at every one of them.
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Paying for cancer treatment
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Financial support and cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Managing Cancer Care Costs
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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