NewsWhore
07-23-2008, 05:00 PM
The National Association of Private Clinics (Andeclip) has threatened to halt services to people holding cards from HMOs if the Superintendent of Health and Labor Risks (Sisalril) decides to admonish them for asking for pre-payments from patients needing intensive care or with catastrophic illnesses.
Andeclip president Rafael Mena told reporters from Diario Libre that the association is asking for support from doctors affiliated to the Dominican Medical Association (CMD).
Mena said that "What we are proposing to Sisalril is that patients cover just 25% of the intensive care or catastrophic illness costs."
The new stalemate between the clinics and Sisalril has arisen because Sisalril has put a RD$500,000 cap on catastrophic illnesses (such as cerebral hemorrhages and high-cost surgeries) and on intensive care.
The clinics allege that this cap - which includes doctor's fees, laboratory work, sonograms and medicines - is not sufficient.
Mena told reporters, "We have to find a solution, because when you have a patient who has cost a million and a half or two million pesos... you can't just turn him out onto the street. They (Sisalril) have to find a solution, and if they do not have a solution, then the patients will have to go to the public hospitals that can do this, or to facilities that receive government funding through their foundations."
As reported in Monday's Diario Libre, the superintendent of Sisalril, Fernando Caamano, warned the clinics that he would leave them out of the network of health care facilities and would impose heavy fines if they continued the practice of demanding pre-payments for cases of intensive care and catastrophic illness.
Caamano's reaction came after Andeclip announced that beginning this week they would suspend intensive care and catastrophic illness care at most clinics affiliated with Andeclip, and they would continue to charge patients the excess costs.
Today's newspapers report that the president of the Plaza de la Salud Foundation, Julio Amado Castanos Guzman, said that as far as possible, the Plaza de la Salud would continue providing services to patients with these needs. Castanos Guzman added that he understood that "the cap set by Sisalril was insufficient because just one week of intensive care was at least half a million pesos." Castanos Guzman said that he was going to suggest that Sisalril increase the cap to RD$800,000, but he added that even that amount is not sufficient.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
Andeclip president Rafael Mena told reporters from Diario Libre that the association is asking for support from doctors affiliated to the Dominican Medical Association (CMD).
Mena said that "What we are proposing to Sisalril is that patients cover just 25% of the intensive care or catastrophic illness costs."
The new stalemate between the clinics and Sisalril has arisen because Sisalril has put a RD$500,000 cap on catastrophic illnesses (such as cerebral hemorrhages and high-cost surgeries) and on intensive care.
The clinics allege that this cap - which includes doctor's fees, laboratory work, sonograms and medicines - is not sufficient.
Mena told reporters, "We have to find a solution, because when you have a patient who has cost a million and a half or two million pesos... you can't just turn him out onto the street. They (Sisalril) have to find a solution, and if they do not have a solution, then the patients will have to go to the public hospitals that can do this, or to facilities that receive government funding through their foundations."
As reported in Monday's Diario Libre, the superintendent of Sisalril, Fernando Caamano, warned the clinics that he would leave them out of the network of health care facilities and would impose heavy fines if they continued the practice of demanding pre-payments for cases of intensive care and catastrophic illness.
Caamano's reaction came after Andeclip announced that beginning this week they would suspend intensive care and catastrophic illness care at most clinics affiliated with Andeclip, and they would continue to charge patients the excess costs.
Today's newspapers report that the president of the Plaza de la Salud Foundation, Julio Amado Castanos Guzman, said that as far as possible, the Plaza de la Salud would continue providing services to patients with these needs. Castanos Guzman added that he understood that "the cap set by Sisalril was insufficient because just one week of intensive care was at least half a million pesos." Castanos Guzman said that he was going to suggest that Sisalril increase the cap to RD$800,000, but he added that even that amount is not sufficient.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)