Coordinated care amounts to PLN 700-800 million per year

Coordinated care, the introduction of which in POZ will start on October 1, is to cost, according to the announcement of the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski, "PLN 700-800 million" annually. The minister emphasized on Monday that the primary health care reform was awaited by patients, which is reflected in the great interest in the tests that doctors may order from July 1.

On Monday, in one of the POZ outpatient clinics in Tarnowskie Góry, a conference of the minister of health on the reform of primary health care was held. - We have had the first stage of implementing the POZ reform for several days. A reform that was very much awaited by patients, especially in the post-Covid era, when the need to make up for certain health effects is very high. We have launched a solution that is to give patients, above all, the possibility of increased diagnostics - said Adam Niedzielski, emphasizing "very great interest on the part of patients". - Even some GPs complain about this interest, in the sense that patients come and expect a new, extended catalog of research, and from this point of view I am glad that this reform responds to the needs of patients - he added.

Indeed - last week, incl. The PPOZ drew the attention of the ministry to the need to conduct an information campaign and educate patients about the budget entrusted to them, and that doctors cannot issue referrals for tests at the request of patients - the decision is made each time based on the doctor's diagnosis and the examination is ordered when the doctor decides it is needed. The interest mentioned by the minister on Monday is based on an erroneous message - that as part of primary health care, patients “deserve” a wider panel of research.

The changes introduced in July are, as Niedzielski emphasized, "only the first element of the reform". - The second element will be the stage of implementation of coordinated care, which will take place from October 1st: then we are talking about further additional funds allocated to patients, which will amount to approximately PLN 700-800 million annually - he said. - It is worth saying, looking at the clinic that we are facing, that coordinated care gives a chance to large, but also smaller clinics to include certain specialist services and continue to expand the offer for patients - he added. - Not only diagnostics, but also the possibility of consulting specialists in very different fields: we will want to cover this care with, among others, cardiology. In order to quickly make up for a certain health deficit that we deal with after the pandemic, although the pandemic is with us all the time.