Healthcare in Veneto. Waiting lists: long times? Yes to private visits and exams but only paying for the ticket

Healthcare, waiting lists in Veneto. On paper, the state law has been in force for a quarter of a century now, but it tends to come out of the closet only when it is waved about by activists and politicians. Like yesterday, when the regional councilor dem Anna Maria Bigon he conveyed to his sympathizers the module to be filled in and delivered to the Ulss, if the reservation in the specialist field it does not guarantee the indicated time from the priority class: «By sending the form of the letter, we will ask for respect for the ex lege right of citizens to request that the visit be carried out in a freelance intramural activity, without additional costs to be borne by the patient». The initiative does not surprise the general director Massimo Annicchiarico: «Let’s talk about one law of 1998which naturally all Regions are required to apply and to which a specific paragraph of the new regional plan for the management of waiting lists, approved by the council last week and about to be published in the Bur. At that point the 60 days within which individual companies must prepare their organizational programsfor example (but not necessarily) through the targeted purchase of services in the accredited private sector».

Law on waiting lists in healthcare

News is therefore arriving on a topic of great interest to public opinion. But what does Legislative Decree 124, launched at the time of the first Prodi government, prescribe? «Basically two things summarizes Annicchiarico, who chairs the control room on waiting lists. The first is that theand Regions must equip themselves with their own tools to ensure that citizens benefit from specialist services according to the times prescribed by the priority class».

Waiting times

Here they are:

1. 24 hours for “U” (urgent)
2. 10 days for “B” (short)
3. 30 days for “D” (deferrable)
4. 90 days for “P” (programmable)

Visits and exams as a freelancer

«The second provision continues, the Director of Health says that until the Regions fulfill that obligation, the patients who receive from Cup a appointment after the indicated deadlines, they can ask that the visit ol’examination come carried out as a freelancer». In this case, the user pays the corresponding amount to ticket (but if he has an exemption he pays nothing), while the difference compared to the actual rate is covered by the Ulss.

Intramoenia benefit, how to apply and who is entitled to it

«Attention: the citizen warns Annicchiarico must present aformal request to the companyand get the positive response, before enjoying the intramoenia performance».

In practice it is not a refund that can be claimed later

«However, the numbers of users we record are really low». Maybe because people aren’t informed? «I rule it out, replies the general manager and I believe the reason is another. Sometimes it happens that the patient wants to go to a specific hospital or clinic, while the law guarantees the principle of maximum proximity with respect to availability. So it happens that, by clarifying this aspect in a subsequent contact, the Cup manages to find the placement within the due timeframe.”

The delays

In this regard, regional councilor Bigon used heartfelt tones in her communication to her supporters: «To date the delays in providing services for the first visits are very serious, with peaks reaching up to months and even years for some types of performance.” Hence his invitation to widely request the use of freelancer. «Until we all move together, wrote the representative of the Democratic Party, things will not change: this is a signal, even a political one, to protect our health and that of our communities, asking the Region and their respective Local Health Authorities to assume their responsibilities» . But could mass participation risk sending the regional health service into a tailspin? Palazzo Balbi excludes this possibility, highlighting the results of the activity to reduce waiting lists, also carried out to dispose of stocks linked to Covid. «The CEO Annicchiarico announces that the Azienda Zero pages on the monitoring of the so-called tracking performance (a hundred by way of example, ed.) according to the new criteria established by the Ministry of Health”.