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02-01-2025

New funding arrangements for substitution treatment and care work: equal treatment for all patients

Iliustracija

From 1 January 2025, substitution treatment and care work services provided in Lithuanian medical institutions will be paid for by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) according to their base prices, up to a maximum of 120 bed-days per year from the start of treatment. The change aims to reduce queues in hospitals for substitution treatment and care work services. 

Until now, the current arrangement was that CHIF would cover a maximum of 120 bed-days per calendar year for substitution treatment and care work services. This payment model resulted in an uneven flow of patients as the calendar year changed: patients admitted to hospitals for care and substitution treatment from September onwards remained in bed for another 120 days at the start of the following year, while there was no room for new patients who needed inpatient care between January and April. This made it difficult to transfer patients to these hospitals in time after active treatment.

The changes will mean that bed days will be counted from the date of the start of the service rather than in calendar years. This means that each patient will be guaranteed a maximum of 120 days of treatment per year, regardless of the start date. 

According to Žydrūnė Baigienė, Head of the Services Management Division of the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health, the new procedure will help to balance the patient flows: “We are striving for efficiency and equality - the new procedure will allow us to make sure that all patients are provided with quality palliative care and nursing services, and that the number of bed days is clearly regulated. This will reduce the queues that form at the beginning of the year and improve the chances of timely transfers of patients from hospitals when they need inpatient care after active treatment.”

The National Health Insurance Fund reminds that healthcare institutions can conveniently monitor information on the provision of substitution treatment and care work services using the Sveidra information system. This system allows easy checking of data on the start and end of services and the number of bed days provided. 

(Getty Images photo)

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Last updated: 22-01-2025

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