Filenews 31 March 2021
"He's not just a doctor, he's your doctor!" With this message begins the new OYS information campaign, which focuses on the institution of the Personal Physician, the cornerstone of the General Health System.
Since the beginning of the implementation of the GHS, Personal Physicians (PIs) have been invited not only to offer quality health services to beneficiaries, but also to guide them in the System, educating them on the new data and possibilities provided to them. At the same time, they were also responsible for discharging the Special Practitioners from incidents that did not require any specialized management.
The institution of PI, after all, is a successful practice that has been adopted and applied in many health systems around the world, precisely because the benefits it offers to the patient are very important. Such as direct access to services, treatments and pharmaceutical coverage, through the Personal Physician, which is considered to be one of the main advantages of the GHS and which beneficiaries enjoy in the context of primary care.
The main concern of the Personal Physician was from the outset direct contact with the patient, with the aim of compiling a complete history and a personalized medical file. Just as has been the case for so many years through the children, with each child having his own doctor who has been monitoring it since the first days of his life and with whom the parents maintain direct communication and close contact.
The first 18 months
When the implementation of the first phase of the GHS began on 1 June 2019, the institution of the Personal Physician was one of the most important bets to be won, mainly for the benefit of the beneficiaries, who would now have a "own" doctor to address the health problems that concerned them.
An innovation that in its path faced challenges and difficulties but managed to come out unscathed, achieving not only its purpose, but also the majority of its - to date - objectives.
In the recent review published by the Health Insurance Agency for the implementation of the first 18 months of the General Health System, the figures are indicative: 853,422 beneficiaries have been registered with the GHS and a list of Personal Physicians.
A relationship of mutual trust
21 months later, for the majority of beneficiaries the Personal Physician they have chosen is not only the scientist who will rule on their health problem, but a man of their own, who knows very well their history and is responsible for the correct diagnosis and the best possible care.
As the initial point of access of the beneficiary to the health care services covered by the GHS, it is the Personal Physician who has the duty to thoroughly examine all parameters, presenting to the beneficiary his options. This is why beneficiaries have direct access to their Personal Physician who has all the necessary data as well as medical training to properly guide them through the health care services they need to receive from other providers and to provide them with primary health care services to deal with chronic diseases in a coordinated way.
An important parameter in the institution of the Personal Physician is the advisory services it provides to beneficiaries in terms of the protection and protection of their health. Personal Physicians should suggest ways to discourage habits that may have adverse effects on the health of the beneficiary, such as smoking, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, obesity and more.
Questions of concern
The creation and implementation of a Health System that introduced many different new data into our daily lives was expected to raise questions among beneficiaries. The majority of questions were answered either through the systematic information activities of the OSU, throughout the previous period, or empirically after the implementation of the System. However, there are still some that still employ a portion of the beneficiaries and which are found below:
- When does PI refer me to other services?
After examination by the PI and if it considers that the state of our health needs further investigation and/or provision of specialized health care by a specialist doctor or other health professional, it refers us accordingly. His medical training, knowledge of our medical history and the relationship of trust created by long-term contact, enables him to provide appropriate health care, within the framework of his responsibilities as well as to provide advice and guidance for the handling of our medical condition.
- What drugs can my PI prescribe and what laboratory tests can my PI refer me to?
The framework in which the PI provides health care services is regulated by the Health Insurance Agency. This specifies the medicinal products he may prescribe, as well as the laboratory/diagnostics to which the beneficiary may refer.
The PI provides beneficiaries with comprehensive, continuous and coordinated primary health care and where it considers that we should receive medication or other laboratory/diagnostic tests that he cannot prescribe or refer us to, then guides us to receive the required health care and/or medication.
- What do I do when my personal doctor is away?
When our PI is absent he designates another PI who will replace him during the period of his absence. At the same time, the absent PI has an obligation to inform the beneficiaries on its list of the arrangements it has made with regard to its replacement.
- As a beneficiary, do I have an obligation to pay any fee to my Personal Physician when I visit him?
No, provided you haven't exceeded the annual number of visits set for your age group. Otherwise the PI may receive a fee from the beneficiary of between EUR 0 and EUR 15 for each additional visit within the year. The above arrangement excludes chronic patients, low-income pensioners, minimum guaranteed income take-aways and their children under 21 years of age.
Source: eyenews
