From allergy tests to Tac, passing through the rmagnetic isonances up to dental care. There are 208 "services at risk of inappropriateness" on the list that the Minister of Health, Beatrice Lorenzin, handed over to the medical unions, giving them 48 hours to make any observations.
Should it obtain the authorization from the Superior Health Council, which has already given a preliminary go-ahead, the text will soon be approved and will form a cornerstone for the Government's battle to fight against waste in the healthcare sector. Should the text on inappropriate services come into force, doctors will only be required to prescribe medical services paid for by the NHS in certain circumstances.
In other cases, the doctor can always prescribe a CT scan, or an MRI, but the cost will be borne by the patient. The Government's objective is to stop the excessive recourse by doctors to specialist examinations and thus curb the hemorrhage of costs for the national health service.
The doctors' unions are on a war footing: “What savings will be achieved with these measures? And how much will it cost to track down 'bad prescribers' doctors and sanction them?” asks Silvestro Scotti of Fimmg. “The doctor, – he continues – by definition he is a good prescriber. Wouldn't it be better to invest in educational and training mechanisms?”.
On the point relating to sanctions Minister Lorenzin specified that the decree envisages for doctors "administrative sanctions that are triggered on the ancillary part of the salary after a discussion, which always takes place, with the doctor on whom an excess of inappropriate prescriptions has been found, and let's not talk of one, but of a series of cases that he has not been able to demonstrate".
The minister also stated that “in Italy there is an excess of benefits which costs the State 13 billion euros a year, which could be redistributed over time where it is needed in the Health Service". We do not remove the magnetic resonance or the Tac, – added the minister – but some services, let's think of orthopedics, the x-rays, which must be done when necessary and not in an intensive way as sometimes happens ".
Attached is the Pdf document with the list of 208 services at risk.
Attachments: Inappropriate performance.pdf
