"It is unacceptable for any patient to face hardship in their efforts to receive the necessary health care," it states in a press release titled “Ensuring Uninterrupted Access to Inpatient Care Services for Beneficiaries,” the Health Insurance Organization, which earlier today sent a letter to all contracted hospitals reminding them of their obligations under the terms of their contracts and applicable laws.
In light of the recent incident that came to public attention, the OAY states that it took the necessary steps and intervened to ensure that the patient received the required healthcare services.
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“Ensuring timely, high-quality, and uninterrupted access to health care services for GESY beneficiaries is a key priority of the Organization. In this context, the Organization systematically monitors the operation of contracted hospitals as well as other healthcare providers, intervening where necessary.
Specifically, the Organization continuously evaluates the operation of the System, identifies areas for improvement, and takes the necessary actions, prioritizing patient safety and unimpeded access to quality healthcare services,” he adds.
It notes that an average of 27,000 hospitalizations take place each month at GESY-affiliated hospitals.
Of these, the OAU reports, cases involving the hospitalization of patients following their transfer from another hospital account for 1.4% per month, while in the vast majority of cases, the hospitalization and care of beneficiaries proceed smoothly.
“The above data do not diminish the seriousness of any individual incident. They do, however, demonstrate that such problems are not the norm and allow the Organization to pinpoint areas in need of improvement,” he adds.
In this context, he notes, the Agency is prioritizing this issue and is in the process of updating a framework that provides clearer and more detailed guidelines to hospitals, which will cover both cases where it is determined that a hospital is unable to admit or manage a patient and cases where, after admission, the patient must be transferred to or continue receiving care at another hospital.
“The framework will include clear procedures for communication, coordination, and referral between hospitals to ensure continuity of care. This effort will proceed in collaboration with the contracted hospitals and other relevant agencies,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Organization sent a letter earlier today to all contracted hospitals, reminding them of their obligations under the terms of their agreement with the Organization, the legislation pertaining to the General Health System (GESY), as well as any other applicable laws of the Republic of Cyprus concerning the provision of inpatient health care and the operation of hospitals
At the same time, it called on all hospitals to exercise due diligence and cooperate with one another, always keeping in mind the best interests of the beneficiaries.
The Organization continues to examine every incident with the necessary seriousness, to strengthen its controls and procedures, and to cooperate with all relevant stakeholders.
“Its primary concern remains the protection of beneficiaries and ensuring that every patient receives the health care they need in a timely, safe, and unimpeded manner,” it concludes.
Source: CNA
