Starting in mid-2023, the CNS will directly cover the cost of medical bills. From then on, patients will only have to pay for services that are not covered by health insurance. However, the system can only work if as many doctors as possible have the necessary digital equipment.
In order to accomplish this, two applications were released in 2021: the Gesondheetsapp (“Health App”) by the AMMD and the official CNS app. In theory, both apps already allow patients to benefit from a much faster reimbursement procedure. However, only 40 doctors in Luxembourg actively use the system.
The CNS is disappointed by the low participation. According to CNS President Christian Oberlé, the AMMD expected 700 doctors to use the system.
“We supported the project by promising to reimburse doctors so they wouldn’t incur any additional costs,” Oberlé explains, adding that the CNS was “somewhat surprised” to see that the project did not yield the expected results.
Meanwhile, the AMMD claims that it is the CNS who is standing in the way of the project’s success. According to the medical association, the project was not just about fast reimbursement but was meant to provide an “all-in-one solution” for patients. This would have included digital sick notes, digital reimbursement certificates from the CNS that could be forwarded to supplementary insurance providers through the Gesondheetsapp, and digital dentist bills. The AMMD is convinced that the original idea would have incentivised doctors and patients to transition to a digital platform.
However, according to the AMMD, the project could not be implemented in this way because the CNS refuses to validate these documents using a digital signature. The damage is significant, the association laments: DHN, the company that developed the system for the AMMD, has taken on debts of over €3 million. But the project’s failure is also to the detriment of the economy, says Claude Have, a representative of DHN. He argues that a more efficient handling of sick notes may have saved businesses a significant amount of time. And even the CNS could have benefitted from the project, given that 120 of its employees are exclusively responsible for processing sick notes and medical bills.
Christian Oberlé assures that the CNS is not obstructing anything, explaining that the project is being implemented “in stages.” Despite doctors’ reservations about installing the digital system, the CNS still plans to introduce direct payment to doctors in mid-2023.
The CNS also wants to continue working with DHN but also with Epione, a new company that intends to install its own system in medial practices in the coming months. Epione expects to reach around 1,000 doctors with their approach. The CNS hopes that a larger offer will result in the project’s success.
The AMMD still has hopes that its idea will come to fruition and has called on Prime Minister Xavier Bettel to intervene. The medical association points out that Bettel advocated for a digital solution with the AMMD during his State of the Nation Address in 2021. The AMMD argues that since no progress is being made with the responsible ministries, the Prime Minister should intervene, especially since Bettel is also the Minister for Digitalisation.
The full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):
