Speeding up the provision of home care services: a special questionnaire will be sufficient to determine need
As the need for personal care at home (PCAH) increases, the aim is to ensure that as many people as possible receive the services they need. To this end, the procedure for their allocation is being simplified through a specific questionnaire. Professionals providing the service have been invited to discuss the issues arising in practice during a remote meeting on 3 August.
Medical professionals and social partners are also invited to submit suggestions and comments by 1 September, and the questionnaire will be refined to reflect their relevance. The questionnaire has been developed by a special committee of the Ministry of Health (MoH), composed of service providers (medical professionals, health authorities) and representatives of higher education institutions. The experts drew on scientific and expert sources.
Following the entry into force on 1 July of the updated outpatient home nursing services (OHNS) procedure, a new questionnaire to determine the level of nursing need will help to identify the level of nursing need: low, medium or high. This will determine the number of services reimbursed by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. It will allow the assessment of health status to be carried out by the GP team, a doctor or a nurse. For people already receiving OHNS services, reassessments can be carried out by nurses providing OHNS services.
Until now, OHNS services have been provided to patients who have been assessed by the Disability and Working Incapacity Assessment Office as having a disability or special needs. Since 1 July, an individual questionnaire to determine need has been introduced, which will allow for quicker diagnosis and provision of nursing and care services.
It also enables patients to receive home care services after day surgery, when they are discharged home on the same day and need immediate post-operative care. These services will not be provided on the basis of a questionnaire, but will be allocated by the family doctor after an assessment of the nature of the day surgery and the possible need for home care.
The number of services reimbursed will also depend on the needs of the patients, and in complex cases, up to five times a week. Previously, this number was the same for all insured persons, with 104 OHNS services per year provided free of charge. From 1 July, 52 services per year (once a week) will be reimbursed for low-need residents, 156 services (3 times a week) for medium-need residents and 260 services (5 times a week) for high-need residents.
To ensure continuity of services, the duration of services is also extended. As of 1 July, the recommendation to provide OHNS not only on weekdays during the working hours of the health facility, but every day from 8 am to 8 pm, including weekends and holidays, has entered into force. From 1 January 2023, these hours of service will become mandatory.
The Minister of Health's Order and the updated procedure for the provision of OHNS and the questionnaire for determining the need for nursing services are available at here.
Press Service of the Ministry of Health
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Last updated: 25-08-2022
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