5.7 Rehabilitation/intermediate care

Thursday, 05. May 2011, 1:01

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5.6 Pharmaceutical care

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5.8 Long-term care


Rehabilitation facilities provide professional physiotherapy services as well as various therapeutic procedures and techniques. Their purpose is the elimination of or relief from conditions associated with accidents, cerebral episodes, operations and so on. Physiotherapy services are provided as ambulatory and inpatient care. Ambulatory care includes specialized services in physiatry, balneology and treatment rehabilitation. Inpatient care is provided in rehabilitation facilities, highly specialized facilities or spas. Balneotherapy, a regional tradition that combines spa visits with various therapeutic treatments, is provided in natural healing spas or balneal facilities. Based on the recommendations of the Balneal Committee, the Ministry of Health grants permits to provide these services. In addition to treatment, spas may also provide services aimed at prevention. The facilities use natural resources for curative and preventive treatments, such as climatic conditions (alpine air) or mineral resources (balneal spas).

Rehabilitation and balneal facilities have two main sources of funding. First, health insurance companies pay for treatment stays and associated services. Illnesses that are fully or partly covered by SHI, indication conditions and the length of treatment stay are by law divided into groups A and B. Diagnoses listed in group A are fully reimbursed by SHI, whereas diagnoses listed in group B require cost-sharing. Direct out-of-pocket payments (for accommodation and associated services) are the second source of funding.

In 2009, balneal treatment was provided in 20 natural healing spas and 10 balneal facilities. In 2008, 152 286 patients were treated in natural healing spas (102 357 Slovakians and 49 929 foreigners). The share of treatment stays covered by SHI has decreased over the years, from 64% of all patients in 2000 to 36.3% in 2008 (Fig. 5.5). This is due to the shifting of SHI resources towards more effective therapeutic procedures. Of the people treated in spas, 71.5% of patients came with musculoskeletal diseases, 8.0% with gastrointestinal diseases, 6.7% with cardiovascular diseases, 5.5% with respiratory diseases, 2.1% with dermatological diseases, 1.9% with gynaecological diseases, 1.8% with diseases of the nervous system, 1.2% with endocrinological diseases, 0.7% with oncological diseases and 0.5% with other diagnoses.

Fig. 5.5: Number of patients in spas