Thomas Cobo (WTO) and Florentino Perez Raya (CGE).
The economic crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine and the increase in public spending on health to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic have brought one of the almost forgotten measures in health back to the table: symbolic invoice. Doctors and nurses agree on the importance of transmitting to the general population the costs that the treatments or the technology used in each pathology. Although they differ on the formula to put it into practice.
At the beginning of the last decade, the possibility of sending patients a fictitious receipt reflecting all the expenses derived from their stay in a hospital or health center gained strength in regions such as Madrid, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Andalusia or Navarra. And even the Ministry of Health headed by the socialist Trinidad Jimenez A similar program was proposed so that patients could have a “shadow” bill, although the initiative ended up falling into oblivion.
The General Nursing Council (CGE) has stated that it welcomes the recovery of this type of strategy, since it would be a good measure to make the population aware of what the diagnosis and treatment provided in the National Health System (SNS) entails. ). “Thus, we will achieve a more rational use of services and a greater awareness at the time of not attending scheduled appointments”, sources from the institution have pointed out to Medical Writing.
This position diverges substantially from the point of view of the Collegiate Medical Organization (WTO). The doctors also consider that it is important that citizens receive more detailed information on public outlay, but they do not believe that the cost of each treatment should be individually stated. “It seems to me too aggressive a measure at a time when the patient is sick”explained the president of the organization Thomas Cob.
As a counterproposal, the medical sector does see favorably that general information is offered to the public about the cost of treatments such as chemotherapy, antivirals, or neurosuppressants that require a considerable financial investment. They also believe that it is necessary to work on ways to provide more “responsibility” to the citizen, with the aim of not making an unjustified use of services such as Primary Care or Emergencies.
More information on costs for doctors
What the Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC) does support is that the doctors themselves have more tools to know the price of diagnostic tests, treatments or health technology when carrying out their work. A dynamic in which they coincide with regions such as Valencian Community, Basque Country, La Rioja or Andalusia that also want to give a more participatory role to the professional. “Doctors have the responsibility of managing the services and knowing their cost,” Cobo stressed.
Of course, the president of the institution has detailed that this calculation of the costs must be applied in installments to each service area, since the necessary investment in activities such as the Thoracic Surgery, that have a high economic burden, than in other departments. “It is something that in the United Kingdom they have already internalized more “has added.
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