In response to a recent parliamentary question from MP Mars di Bartolomeo of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) regarding the rollout of the PID system, Health and Social Security Minister Martine Deprez was pleased to announce that the system is progressing well.
PID stands for ‘Paiement immédiat direct’, or ‘immediate direct payment’ in English, and the system is intended to make life easier for both patients and doctors in Luxembourg. The third-party payment system thus allows patients to pay only their portion of the medical bill, while the doctor receives the remaining payment directly from the National Health Fund (CNS) within 48 hours after proof of payment is submitted, or on the next working day if it falls on a weekend or holiday.
Although initial software issues early in the year resulted in fewer than 100 participants, the number of doctors using PID has steadily risen, according to Deprez. Currently, around 500 out of 2,600 general practitioners, specialists, and dentists in Luxembourg have adopted the system, bringing the number of processed bills from 8,000 in January to 80,000 by September.
Examples of hospitals participating in the roll out include the Robert Schuman Hospitals, which has implemented PID with emergency physicians, radiologists, and dentists. Other hospitals, like the CHL and CHdN, are still testing the system, limiting its use to emergency doctors. Meanwhile, at the Centre Hospitalier Emile Mayrisch (CHEM) in Esch-sur-Alzette, discussions are ongoing about whether to implement PID at all.
Read also: Third-party payment system finally takes off in Luxembourg
