Territorial health funds and more than two dozen medical institutions of the country have signed additional agreements to improve access to services. With these agreements, institutions have committed to providing patients with more of those services that result in the largest queues at a particular institution. In the meantime, the health fund confirmed in the agreements that it will create all the conditions for a breakthrough – it will allocate the required amount of additional funding. It is estimated that the annual need for funds of the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund for this purpose will reach 33.6 million. euros.
During the coronavirus pandemic, many medical institutions have long waiting lines for services, and even now, the volume of service provision in many areas has not caught up to the pre-pandemic level. Health systems not only in Lithuania, but also in the whole world are facing this challenge – they are constantly looking for ways to effectively shorten queues in medical institutions.
In the opinion of Gintaras Kacevičius, Director of the State Sick Fund under the Ministry of Health Protection (VLK), non-standard situations require non-standard solutions, therefore unprecedented measures have been taken in the history of the country – the country’s medical institutions have been invited by agreements to commit to reducing waiting lines for services, receiving additional payment from the sick funds.
“With additional agreements, we aim to financially empower medical institutions to improve the availability of health care services paid for by the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund and to ensure that these services are provided to patients free of charge – without any additional fees or conditions not provided for in legislation. We hope that the additional funding will allow medical institutions to significantly increase the number of those services that cause the longest waiting lines in the institutions,” says G. Kacevičius.
Most of the medical institutions are obliged to increase the availability of medical specialist consultations in their agreements. The total need for funds exceeds even 14 million. euros. Also after more than 5 million Additional funds of EUR 100,000 are provided in the agreements for day inpatient services, day surgery services, and active and long-term treatment services. In addition, part of the institutions’ agreements provided for the provision of more nursing and supportive treatment services, as well as inpatient palliative care and emergency medical care services, etc.
According to VLK’s calculations, the additional financing ensured by the agreements will allow the country’s treatment facilities to provide an additional 200,000. consultations of specialist doctors, 1,300 joint endoprosthesis operations, 37 thousand day inpatient and 7.5 thousand day surgery services.
The major medical institutions, such as Kaunas Klinikos Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Santaras Klinikos Vilnius University Hospital, Vilnius University Hospital, Panevėžys Republican Hospital and other institutions, took on the biggest commitments in the agreements. Some regional institutions also planned to increase the number of services, such as Druskininkai Hospital, Alytus County S. Kudirka Hospital, Varėna Primary Health Care Center and some polyclinics, e.g. in Vilnius City Center Polyclinic, Antakalnis Polyclinic, Šeškinė Polyclinic, etc. Some private medical institutions have also signed agreements.
“This type of agreement between health funds and medical facilities was signed for the first time, so we really appreciate the determination and efforts of every institution that has taken on these obligations and efforts to find opportunities to provide more of the services that their patients have been waiting for the longest. We hope that this step will encourage other institutions to look for certain management solutions and human resources, so that the necessary services are provided to patients faster”, says the director of VLK.
Agreements on improving the availability of services at health insurance funds and medical institutions will come into effect this year. During this period, the additional services provided by the institutions will be paid for with targeted funds allocated to VLK.
