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Tag: physicians
Similarly to nurses also doctors might lose their higher salaries. Association of Hospitals in Slovakia is considering the submission to General Attorney for investigation of the constitutionality of the act on wages of doctors. Association claims that acts on salaries of doctors and nurses are favouring only certain groups of employees. Doctors do not understand the activities of the Association and threatened that they will publicize “the reality” of private healthcare institutions.
Slovaks visit the doctor during the year the most often among all EU countries. Annually 12 visits of general practitioner or specialist fall on each Slovak. Slovakia is then followed by Hungarians and Czechs. This results from the information of OECD, where the average is on the level of around 6 consultations per year. Slovakia is in the forefront also in the number of examinations carried out by one doctors, what is caused by the gradual loss of doctors.
Doctors and hospitals might have last year disseised the health care system of more than € 200 million. This was found out by health insurance companies, which by the controls detected the fictitious services or mistakenly billed procedures and pharmaceuticals. These were thanks to the controls finally not covered. Doctors are fighting back and blame the system. In the case, when insurance company find out, that doctor or hospital is charging the services, which have never been performed, they might end up in court.
Private doctors, who increased the salaries of nurses and enshrined it into their contracts, will not cancel them for now. According to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, the decision of Constitutional Court is relevant for those, who have not increased the salaries of nurses until now and thus do not have to. As he noted, for now he does not know the exact wording of the decision. So he does not know, whether the Constitutional Court objected to the benefit of one group of healthcare professionals at the expense of others or that the money were not covered by state budget.
Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) and representatives of outpatient doctors has agreed on the form of new contract. This should be according to the conditions of legislation valid for 12 months, price quotations is, however, made only for 6 months. Doctors want to negotiate on its amount again. Based on the agreement the general practitioners will get from insurance company the increasing of payments by 8%. The payments of specialists should be increased by 5%. Agreement also assumes the increasing of the point for prevention.
Representatives of outpatient doctors again failed to agree with Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) on signing of the amendments to the contracts. Representatives of doctors refused to accept the 8% increasing of payments of insurance company for the medical performances from July. Insurance company started the negotiations on the level of 6.5%. If doctors accept the newest offer, it would mean the increasing by 15% compared to 2011 and for average outpatient clinic it would mean monthly € 200 more.
According to Minister Zvolenská, the offer of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) is four times higher than the annual percentage increasing of payments for providing of health care offered before. Doctors, however, still consider it as inadequate and are asking VšZP to add them 20%. Minister considers the claims of representatives of doctors as excessive. In addition, the offer of state insurance company is according to her information comparable with the offers of other health insurance companies.
Doctors still have not completed the negotiations with Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Both sides presented at today's joint negotiation their compromise proposals, but refused to informed about them. According to the President of Slovak Medical Chamber, Marian Kollár, they will now evaluate the compromise. Outpatient care doctors represented by Slovak Medical Chamber, Zdravita o.z., as well as the Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents therefore continue to remain in non-contract relationship.
Despite the promises of outpatient care doctors that they will not charge patients for the visit in first week of July from today they will draw the check to chronic patients for some performances. Policyholders of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will thus pay by the visit of specialist or general practitioner for example for blood taking, laboratory examination, ultrasound examination or x-ray examination. VšZP advises its policyholders not to pay in outpatient clinics and despite the non-contract relationship plans to cover the examinations to doctors.
Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance company) suspects outpatient doctors - who announced that if they do not get more money, they will not sign the new contracts - from cartel agreement and prepares the suggestion to the Antimonopoly Office. VšZP started to send doctors the amendments with increased prices before the end of validity of current contract and believes that they will face the proposal correctly and responsibly. According to the VšZP, even the possible mandate contract for representation does not exempt doctors from the possibility to decide. Doctors, according to the VšZP, may sign the amendment separately, regardless to the decision of their professional organizations.
