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29-03-2023

Reducing queues will encourage medical institutions to provide the most needed consultations – additional EUR 17 million designated

Iliustracija

Institutions will be encouraged to provide the most relevant consultations to the patients fully during a single visit by reducing queues at medical institutions, increasing access to treatment services and improving patient’s experience. The Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Fund under the Ministry of Health (NHIF) have reviewed and increased fees for consultations when two or more diagnostic or therapeutic medical interventions are performed to a patient. More than EUR 17 million in total has been earmarked for this.

An increased fee for extended consultations will be applied for extended consultations of 14 specialists, provided by adult and paediatric cardiologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, rheumatologists, obstetricians-gynaecologists, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, ophthalmologists, otorhinolaryngologists and orthopaedists-traumatologists.
New fees for medical institutions will enter into force as of 1 April of this year.

As the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys states, in his communication with doctors and patients, situations are identified when during a single visit only partial consultations are provided and patients are forced to repeatedly visit treatment facilities. The decision has been taken to improve payment procedure and to decrease the number of such situations.

“The goal of improved fees is simple – the patient shall receive a comprehensive consultation during a visit, without the need to return to medical institution again. We will save both patient’s and doctor’s time and there will be less situations when complications arise due to delayed diseases,” the minister states.

Gintaras Kacevičius, the Director of the NHIF, indicates that recalculation of rates was started and implemented following the analysis of the situation of access to treatment services.

“One of the priority objectives of the health insurance funds this year is to improve payment for consultations of doctors specialists. Therefore, we increase fees for the consultations, when a patient receives two or more diagnostic or therapeutic medical interventions. Payment for more extended consultations of specialists, which are the reason of the longest queues, will increase in 30-50 %. Thus, we expect to encourage treatment institutions to provide more services during a visit and decrease the patient’s need for a repeated visit and, at the same time, - reduce the queues,” states the Director of the NHIF, G. Kacevičius.

Therefore, there will be three levels of the consultations of specialists as of 1 April: a consultation without interventions, with one intervention and two or more interventions.

The specialties, covered by the new fees for extended consultations, have been selected on the basis of several key factors. Initially – waiting queues: the patient has to wait the longest for consultations of these specialists. Specialists are responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which are underlying causes of death in Lithuania, also, and these specialists carry out several diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions during consultations.

It is established in the law that a consultation of a specialist shall be provided within 30 calendar days.

Press Office of the Ministry of Health

The NHIF invites you:

Last updated: 09-05-2023

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