Prescription limit to rein in EOPYY spending
In a bid to rein in its expenses, the country’s largest healthcare provider, EOPYY, is to announce a limit in the coming days on the number and type of diagnostic tests that doctors affiliated with EOPYY can issue prescriptions for, Kathimerini understands.
The development comes amid reports of EOPYY being unjustifiably overcharged by private clinics and figures showing that the healthcare provider exceeded its budget for spending on diagnostic tests for the first six months of this year, spending 336 million euros instead of the designated maximum of 328 million.
According to sources, the new guidelines are to be put into effect by the end of this month by the Computer Center for Social Security Services (IDIKA), which oversees the state’s electronic prescription scheme. The new system is to have a built-in ceiling for the number and type of diagnostic tests that doctors can issue and will help to stamp out previous anomalies – such as gynecologists issuing prescriptions for prostate cancer tests. Prescriptions issued for tests at private clinics that are within the new limits will be subject to compensation from EOPYY. Prescriptions beyond the ceiling will be for tests at public hospitals.
On Thursday, first instance prosecutor Panagiota Fakou ordered an investigation into reports according to which private clinics last year submitted at least 130 million euros in unjustifiable expenses to EOPYY.
