HPI

Economic results of health insurance companies (HIC) for the year 2013 decreased from the same period of 2012 by € 21.5 million. HIC reached profit of 68.7 million euros last year. Most has worsened State General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) compared to 2012. While in 2012 ended with a profit of 26.3 million, for 2013 reached € 15.6 million. Achieved profit was lower by about 10.7 million euros. Highest profit last year reached private insurance company Dôvera – 46.5 million euros. Compared to 2012 was less by 1.4 million. Another private HIC Union reached positive result of € 6.6 million last year. In 2012, however, reported a profit of almost 16 million euros. Revenue of HIC amounted to 4,316.9 million euros, compared to 2012 is it an increase of 274.1 million euros. Contribution collection rate reached almost 97 percent last year. Compared to last year, percentage of premium collection fell by 2.19 percent. Total insurance expenses in 2013 were at almost 4.2 billion euros.

The largest private insurance company Dôvera had last year profit of more than € 46 million. It is the most of all insurance companies. Dôvera gave its profits to a reserve fund and did not use the money to pay dividends to its shareholders. They, however, paid out the money from insurance company anyway. Investment group Penta and Cypriot company Prefto Holding Limited had together paid out almost € 150 million, of which Dôvera reduced the so-called commitments to shareholders in its accounting. Owners of Dôvera did not pay taxes of this amount. They did not have to. Formally it was just settlement of the liability, not profit. If you such amount was paid from profits they would have to pay 23 percent tax of it for more than € 30 million.

National Transfusion Service (NTS) of the Slovak Republic is one of the most crucial institutions in the Slovak health care. It is the largest and practically the only supplier of blood for all hospitals. Hospitals do not pay for blood, so NTS does not pay its suppliers. Now the debts of the NTS took over the largest buyer of claims in our market, Magellan Slovakia, ltd. At the beginning of July it took over debts for 5.4 million euros. With NTS have agreed on monthly installments from 105,000 to 404,000 euros. Magellan Slovakia with this transaction did its largest business on our market.

Twelve regional hospitals belonging to network of hospitals Svet zdravia began with the general exchange of benches for sitting. In the waiting room will be gradually installed 1,200 new benches with 4,100 seats until mid-September. The value of the investment is € 160,000. The first delivery of benches received Hospital in Rožňava and Trebišov. The new benches according to the company offer good ergonomic seats, durability and easy maintenance of hygiene. Financial partner of the project is a healthcare insurance company Dôvera.

Health Insurance Company Dôvera is recording within its insured annually about a million of drug interactions. To prevent of this interactions assists the application “Safe medication”. It is going to be more accessible for doctors now. The service will be online in the autumn – available directly in doctor´s the software. Dôvera expects fewer duplicate prescriptions of drugs and lower risk of drug interactions. Application displays drug book and patient medical records from other doctors. Doctors perceive project as a small electronization of healthcare.

From next year in Slovakia should start operating new types of medical facilities – integrated centers. Centers should concentrate doctors, along with social workers at one place. In the pilot program, the Ministry of Health wants to try three to ten centers. State has not yet decided where will be built the first center. Ministry wants to start their construction or reconstruction of existing health centers next year. Together should be built 140 such centers in towns and larger villages. One center should operate for about 30-thousand people. The part of the reform, which involves building these centers and it is estimated to about ten years, is also change of hospitals.

Slovakia succeeded in international arbitration with the Austrian bank European American Investment Bank AG (Euram). In 2007, the company acquired a 51 percent of the shares in the insurance company Apollo. The arbitral tribunal did not say whether Slovakia harmed the company Euram; in favour of Slovakia decided because Euram has also turned to other courts. Arbitration is now stopped. About who will pay the costs and attorneys' millions of euros, the court should decide on further session of the court. It is therefore possible that Slovakia will pay for their lawyers and even some of the costs; however, State does not have to pay compensation to 131 million euros, which Euram Bank requested. The arbitral tribunal may decide that lawyers and other legal charges will be paid by Euram Bank. 

Ministry of Health introduced changes in fees. Issuance recipe, acknowledgment of passes to work under treatment, ordering on preferred examination if the doctor cannot make appointment within five days - in these cases, doctors in outpatient departments soon could not charge fees. Legislative proposal should be given for comments in the coming days. The new legislation does not provide the exact amount of the fees or their limits. Fees shall be adopted by doctors themselves; however, their price lists will be approved by self-governing regions. Amendment also specifies what document must be evidence of payment. Ministry warns that the doctor has to issue it automatically, not on request by patient. The new system could be valid in autumn this year.

New Bratislava University Hospital could be ready for patients at the end of 2017. Its construction should take a year and a half. This results from the feasibility study, which was partly published by the Ministry of Health. This study cost 720 thousand million, excluding value added tax and was paid by Ministry. After the withdrawal of study by the government, the Ministry begins to choose an investor that will build and operate hospital. The new hospital will also serve to provide education and research. Hostpil should be built in the area of Hospital of st. Michael located in Patrónka. According to initial calculations by the Ministry of Health announced before the actual study, the hospital should cost around 250 million euros. 

Health care facilities owed at the end of May 2014 on premium to Social Insurance Agency over € 98.6 million. Since the beginning of the year their claims increased by € 12.3 million. Claims of state medical facilities reached 64.9 million euros. Monthly increased by 1.7 million euros. The increase of receivables due to non-payment is recorded in the Bratislava University Hospital, Bratislava  Children's Hospital and the National Transfusion Service. Debts of transformed medical facilities accounted more than 33.7 million euros. Per month thus increased by € 286,000. The increases of receivables arising from non-payment of monthly premiums were recorded at the six facilities.