The Health Insurance Fund pays family doctors 1.7 million euros additional remuneration in the framework of the quality system
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Please note that the article is more than a year old and belongs to an archive that we do not update. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with newer sources as well.PRESS RELEASE 01.07.2015
In 2014, family doctors achieved the best result through the years in performance of quality indicators, and this year the Health Insurance Fund paid out additional remuneration for quality to a record number of 447 family doctors in a total amount of 1,662,492 euros.
"The results show that a growing number of family doctors are motivated to participate in the system of monitoring of quality indicators and have become increasingly active in disease prevention and monitoring of chronic patients," the Health Insurance Fund Chairman Tanel Ross commented on the results.
For the performance of the indicators for the year 2014, 56% of the participants of the family doctor quality system will receive an additional remuneration this year, which is 2% more than in the previous year. There is also a slight increase in the number of family doctors who achieved the maximum possible results, in 2013 there were 367, last year 374, so the results are increasingly positive. Participation in the family doctor quality system and achieving of good results gives the patients a sense of security that their health issues will be actively addressed, their illnesses are targeted for prevention and, if necessary, a constant monitoring of their condition takes place, which can help save their health to a maximum extent. Additional remuneration for additional professional competence (assessment of professional certification of the family doctor and the family nurse, monitoring of normal pregnancies, the performance of small surgeries) will be granted to 186 family doctors.
The increase of participation in the quality system of family doctors in recent years has been modest, but given that in the quality system are involved 96% of all the family doctors, only a few family doctors have so far opted out of participation in the quality system. From 2015 onwards, on the agreement with the Estonian Association of Family Doctors, involvement in the quality system is compulsory, which also ensures that all the insured persons receive information about the performance of their family doctor on the website of the Health Insurance Fund: http://www.haigekassa.ee/raviasutusele/perearst/kvaliteedisusteem (/et/raviasutusele/perearst/kvaliteedisusteem
The additional remuneration for quality is paid by the Health Insurance Fund in the form of a single payment. For achievement of the indicators, the family doctor can get a maximum of 5,349.41 euros in the cases where another family nurse works in the center. In addition, for the family doctors who have achieved good and very good results, the volume of funds provided for examinations and procedures increases by 3%.
The system of quality indicators of family doctors is developed by the Health Insurance Fund in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Family Doctors, and it was implemented in 2006. The quality indicators are the activities aimed at the prevention of occurrence and exacerbation of diseases and prevention of complications. The groups of disease have been selected whose effects on the health and mortality of the population is the largest, in terms of which internationally has been accepted the evidence-based nature of the impact of activities on human health (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus).
The quality system is constantly evolving. "Certainly we must in 2015 and in subsequent years develop new quality indicators that assess the patient's holistic approach to monitoring persons with chronic diseases, and performance indicators to evaluate the improvement of the patient's health outcomes through the work of the family doctor, of course, in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Family Doctors," said Tanel Ross.
A strong and efficient family doctor system also means the willingness to develop, to provide new services to people and to take new responsibilities. Undoubtedly, today all those who have accepted the responsible task deserve recognition, "he added.
Additional Information:
Kertu Eensaar Senior Specialist on Communications Estonian Health Insurance Fund Tel 6208 459 kertu.eensaar [at] haigekassa.ee (kertu[dot]eensaar[at]haigekassa[dot]ee)