21 Márta 2013, 16:40
At a time when it was under financial pressure, the HSE had failed to put procedures in place to collect the income it was due, according to a new report by the Committee of Public Accounts.
The report which covers a range of issues that were dealt with by the Committee in 2012 at its three meetings with the HSE found that medical consultants were not signing off on claims and €74 million worth of claims had not been submitted for collection from the private health insurers. Between €5million and €8million was outstanding for over twelve months.
Committee Chairman John McGuinness TD said: “That is no way to run a health service and while steps were taken through the LRC to ensure that consultants signed off on claims within 14 days, we will follow up with the HSE to ensure that it collects the money it is owed promptly.
“On the anticipated savings the HSE, in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, had put into their budgetary calculations a sum of €124 million to be saved on drug payments even though the negotiations on the cost of certain drugs did not conclude until October 2012. The Report questions whether this is a good way to present estimates and maybe a better way would be to make provision for the full cost and then, on negotiation of a reduction, deem it a saving at the year end.
“Likewise the HSE budget anticipated raising extra income from charging for the use of public beds where these were allocated to private patients. While we would all like this to be the case, until such time as the agreement is in place, it is prudent not include any figure in budgetary calculations.
“On the issue of the cost of drugs, it is clear that while there is likely to be savings arising from the October Agreement with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, we are still paying more for drugs that other OECD countries and there is a need to publish annually these figures so that we can get a handle on how much extra we are paying.”
The Report also examines and makes recommendations a range of issues, such as the oversight of the voluntary sector and the medical consultants contract and the employment of retired staff who are reemployed through agencies and these are ongoing issues that will feature again in this year’s examination of the HSE expenditure.
Deputy McGuinness concluded: “The HSE spend between €13 and €14 billion annually in running our health services. In living within its budget, it needs to ensure that its services are accurately costed and that appropriate provision is made in the estimates especially for demand led services and that it collects the money it is owed. We will be following up on these issues next month with the HSE and we will want to see progress on all areas identified in this Report.”
Read the report here: http://bit.ly/Z2Tc3S
For further information please contact:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 3903
M: 086-0496518
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee of Public Accounts Membership
John McGuinness (Chairman)
Kieran O’Donnell (Vice Chairman)
Paul J Connaughton,
John Deasy,
Paschal Donohoe,
Gerald Nash,
Simon Harris,
Michael McCarthy,
Mary Lou McDonald,
Sean Fleming,
Eoghan Murphy,
Derek Nolan,
Shane Ross.