Nomenclature of health care services Antonine Wyffels NIHDI
Introduction National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance: organizes the reimbursement of the medical costs in order to make high quality health care accessible to as many people as possible organizes the negotiation between the different partners of the health insurance makes sure the activities of the health care providers and health insurance funds are properly financed
Nomenclature: definition Part of the (common) services that are covered by compulsory health insurance are described in the nationally established fee schedule = NOMENCLATURE It is an index of reimbursable (para-)medical health care acts (intellectual, material, technical or mixed) Extremely detailed list of more than 8000 health care services: consultations visits physiotherapy sessions nursing care protheses and implants
Nomenclature: legal framework The legal framework of the nom is the Royal Decree of 14 september 1984. Published as an annex of the RD Updated by new RD at each modification Published in the Moniteur Belge as amendments to that annex. Sickness funds are legally bound to reimburse any claim from their insured members for care delivered by any recognized health care provider at the agreed fee levels!
Nomenclature: contents? (1) Provides the following information (1/2): Qualification of the health care provider An identification number or code for each service: Composed of 6 numbers. Mentioned on the medical certificate In most cases, there are two codes: one for outpatients and one for inpatients. A description or definition of the service Application rules: explaining the conditions of reimbursement of one or more services
Nomenclature: contents? (2) Provides the following information (2/2): A letter-key: gathers a certain number of services: N for consultation, visit, technical service L for dentists Z for opticians the value of the letter-key is negotiated yearly or biennially between representatives of the sickness funds and of the health care professionals A coefficient: indicates the relative value of the individual service Value of letter-key x coefficient = maximum amount of the fee
Nomenclature: example An appendicectomy is the surgical removal of the vermiform appendix. Article 14 of the nomenclature - Surgery Appendectomy may be performed laparoscopically (243353 / 243364 N200) or as an open operation (243154 / 243165 N200)
Nomenclature: creation? (1) Technical councils Conventions and agreements commissions Budget Control Committee Health Care Insurance Committee Minister of Social Affairs
Nomenclature: creation? (2) Technical Medical Council Is in charge of the technical contents Members: Two thirds of experts are from the Belgian universities and the professional organizations who are representating the medical community A third are doctors of the national unions of sickness funds Make proposals or formulate recommendations to adapt the services of the nomenclature or to add new once Power to interpret the nomenclature
Nomenclature : creation (3) AGREEMENT COMMISSION : Is in charge of the financial aspects Members : professional organizations and sickness funds
How is decided the value of an act? By refering to a standard act in the same field By calculating the necessary ressources By taking into account th available budget.. By a lot of discussions!!
Strong points of the nomenclature Repository of the reimbursed services Avoid confusion/disagreement Simplified invoicing Epidemiologic follow-up Follow-up of the activity: Who prescribes/carries out? How much? Where? Follow-up of the expenditures (permanent audit) Possible to update (but takes time) Public document Respect of diagnostic and therapeutic freedom Result of negotiation tariff safety
Weak points of the nomenclature Long introduction period for each modification or innovation Progressive complexification Difficulty in limiting the abuses without creating problems of accessibility to the care. Not adapted for special or rare services Not well known by the health care providers by increasing complexity Raising difficulty to coordinate different reimbursement models
More info? Electronic consultation of the nomenclature NomenSoft : nomenclature database Code-numbers Description Tariffs (fees / prices / reimbursement rates) Website of the NIHDI : www.riziv.be