site.btaMedical Association, Health Insurance Fund Fail to Reach Agreement on Clinical Pathway Prices

Medical Association, Health Insurance Fund Fail to Reach Agreement on Clinical Pathway Prices

Sofia, June 23 (BTA) - At negotiations on Monday, the Bulgarian
Medical Association (BMA) and the National Health Insurance Fund
(NHIF) failed to reach agreement on the prices of clinical
pathways.

"The Bulgarian Medical Association categorically disagrees with
the reduction of clinical pathway prices and the transfer of
part of the pathways to off-hospital care," BMA President
Ventsislav Grozev told journalists after a meeting with the NHIF
Supervisory Board. Dr Grozev argued that such a step would be
dangerous for patients as well. In his opinion, this would lead
to a hidden decrease of clinical pathway prices in the order of
33.5 million leva, and human resources to cover this decrease
are not available. He assumed that, as a result of the spending
cut, hospitals' debts will increase by 55-60 million leva and
they will be unable to pay their suppliers' bills.

"We will not be signing any measures whatsoever, the Medical
Association does not agree with anything of what is being
proposed at this point, even though the agreement on prices and
volumes, signed by both parties, provides for a decrease of
clinical pathway prices when resources are overspent," commented
NHIF Deputy Director Dimiter Petrov. He said that hospitals
will operate within their budget limits and will not receive
extra payments for activities in excess of these limits until
the court rules on the matter next year.

Dr Petrov promised rigorous checks into alerts about bogus
hospitalizations and about bed-ridden patients who did not
receive the therapy for which payment was claimed from the NHIF.
Alerts have been received so far about the outpatient cancer
hospital in Varna and about the oncohematology hospital in
Sofia.