Phone and video appointments with doctors recorded an uptick at the beginning of the pandemic, with remote consultations helping to break infection chains and protect patients as well as healthcare workers.
Today, remote consultations are still being used frequently despite low Covid infection rates. However, on 19 July, the National Health Fund informed doctors that as of 16 July, video and phone appointments will no longer be reimbursed given that there is no legal basis for it.
This decision triggered cries of dismay in the sector and the Health Directorate has since backtracked to extend the reimbursement policy.
Dr Guillaume Steichen, secretary general at the Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD), criticised the way that the CNS handled the situation: “It came as an absolute surprise and we did not really understand it. Doctors were informed about the retroactive decision via email, which means that patients consulted remotely between 16 and 19 July are not eligible for reimbursement.”
CNS director Christian Oberlé has since acknowledged that the decision was a misunderstanding. He explained that the Fund was forced to react after noticing that the Health Directorate did not extend the regulation for remote consultations.
Demands for phone and video appointments have remained elevated throughout the pandemic. Dr Steichen believes it is a modern tool that is no longer expendable: “People are asking for it. Does it make sense to stand in traffic and find a parking space only to discuss the results of a blood sample? Of course the exact parameters have to be defined, including the safe transmission of documents.”
The AMMD already launched an initiative to help safeguard data digitally and hopes that authorities will introduce a comparable solution.
Dr Steichen also admitted that there is a danger for abuses of the system, but expressed his belief that the CNS has the necessary tools to prevent doctors from attempting to make quick money. Oberlé confirmed that the system has worked well so far and that no significant abuses were recorded.
