In the last year the number of visits and diagnostic tests has reduced «floating», that is, waiting for a date for their execution. From April 2023 to today 1500 specialist outpatient services with priority B (to be guaranteed within 10 days) they have zeroed out; the Ds (30 days) dropped from 82,210 to 13,900, the Ps (60/90 days) from 74,500 they went to 28,300. This was communicated by the Health Councilor, Manuela Lanzarin, who explains: «A result achieved thanks to the 38 million euros paid to the Local Health Authorities for the purchase of services additional by its staff and from the accredited private sector, to the refinement of the organization, to the great work of the doctors. Other progress will come with the application of the new resolution to the attention of the Regional Council”.
«Regional plan for managing waiting lists»
Refers to the update of «Regional plan for managing waiting lists» developed by the working group created by the Director General of Health, Massimo Annicchiarico, and which contains confirmations and news. There remains the possibility for healthcare companies to extend the opening of clinics to the evening and weekend hours, as well as the use of imaging equipment are confirmed «at least 80% of their potential» and precisely «buoyancy». Making its debut, however, is the diktat according to which “at least 90% of the services must be satisfied within the times established by each priority class”. The remaining 10% for the Bs must be guaranteed within the next 10 days, for D and P within the following 30 days. The other innovation referred to by the Plan, on which the opposition and the unions have insisted for some time, is the application of law 124 of 1998. Until now ignored by the local health authorities, it provides: «In the event that the system is unable to satisfy the performance in the expected times, the healthcare company, upon request of the user, is required to guarantee them in free profession intramoenia with the simple payment of the ticket”. And that’s not all: if expectations are not met, general managers can reduce or suspend the freelance work of employees to “channel space, resources and equipment towards institutional activity”. Pto satisfy requests, increased by 15%the Local Health Authorities must also manage flexible agendas, ready to reuse vacancies and resort to overbooking, both in the public and accredited private sectors.
The duties of the citizen
However, the citizen also has some duties. First: if you book a visit after the deadlines set by the priority code, The Local Health Authority no longer has the obligation to insure it within the established limit and is recoded as «G2», i.e. guaranteed in longer times. Be careful then: the recipe lasts 180 days. Second: healthcare companies are required to provide the service as close as possible to the patient’s home (especially for the over 75s), but if the latter renounces first availability in his District to choose another structure, the code expires and the visit becomes “G2”. Third: the citizen must cancel the booking within 4 working days of the appointment and collect the reports within 30, otherwise he will have to pay the entire amount and not just the ticket. Finally, the Cups are called upon to resort to systems barrier capable of intercepting any “multiple” bookings, i.e. booked in different centers by the same user.
All this work will be constantly monitored by the Region, to which the “Sole company managers of waiting times” appointed by resolution by the general managers within the multidisciplinary teams will have to report, one for Local Health Authority, responsible for monitoring the listson the provision of services, on prescriptive appropriateness.
The reporting
By February 28th of each year, health companies must send the report to the Region, which in turn will send the Plan to the Ministry of Health by one month from its approval (it is about to be examined by the Health Commission). «The new plan is necessary, but it must be adequately financed and integrated — says Annamaria Bigon (Pd), vice-president of the Health commission — family doctors’ orders in 2022 were 29 million, of which only 16 million were fulfilled. The rest was satisfied for a fee or the citizen renounced it. The era in which Cups keep patients in suspense and, violating the law, they invite them to call back because the lists are closed. Or they force them to wait months, years, to get the appointment date.”
