The transition period is coming to an end - as of July 1, referrals to sanatoriums in Poland will already be issued only in electronic form. The change is expected to facilitate the use of spa treatment services.
From July to the sanatorium only with e-referral
Published June 28, 2023 09:14
- E-referral is not only a convenience for patients, but also a benefit for the entire health care system. Thanks to this solution, the referral process for a treatment turn becomes more transparent and efficient, which translates into better quality of spa treatment," says Pawel Kikosicki, director of the e-Health Center.
- An e-referral for spa treatment is automatically sent to the relevant NHF branch as soon as it is issued. So the patient does not have to keep track of appointments and bring a paper printout of the referral to the branch. Thanks to automatic enrollment, handling the paperwork becomes faster and more efficient," stresses Filip Nowak, president of the National Health Fund.
Once registered in the system, the referral is reviewed by a doctor - a specialist in balneoclimatology and physical medicine, employed by the National Health Service. He has 30 days to qualify the patient for treatment or reject his referral for medical reasons, calculated from the date of registration of the referral in the system. If he approves it, he will transmit information to the system about the referral number, the treatment and the expected waiting period. In the case of an incomplete referral, the doctor will ask you to complete it. Notification of the allocation of a place and the date of the treatment will be given to the prospective patient on his Internet Patient Account, as well as in the form of a paper document sent by mail.
The patient can access the e-referral on the Internet Patient Account (IKP) and in the myIKP application. Depending on the stage of the e-referral procedure, the patient will find all the necessary information there. In the case of a positive decision, this will include: approximate waiting time, place in the waiting queue, date and place of treatment, as well as the name of the spa and its address. A history of previous e-health referrals can also be found there, and a parent will be able to track their children's treatment history.
The introduction of electronic referrals does not preclude a situation in which a doctor will use a paper form of referral. This will happen when the referral is for spa treatment outside the country or the doctor does not have access to the Internet, and therefore to the e-health system.
Elaborated. based on: NFZ
