HE REGISTERED THE SAME PHOTO FOR MANY PATIENTS AND WAS PAID - PLASTIC SURGEON FINED €30,000 - Filenews 4/3 by Marilena Panayi
A plastic surgeon was caught in the grip of the Health Insurance Organization, who, as it was found, deceived E Rthe system either by registering incomplete beneficiary data or by presenting evidentiary data that in some cases did not correspond to reality.
Specifically, the plastic surgeon in question, who was eventually fined €30,000, was filing requests for compensation from the HIO without presenting the necessary imaging evidence to perform the medical acts he claimed to have performed.
At the same time, however, and as the HIO found, after a relevant investigation, the specific doctor had registered requests for compensation for different patients, for whom, however, he was registering the same imaging evidence.
Simply put, in cases where the HIO requires the registration of photos in order to pay the compensation, the doctor was found to have claimed compensation for different patients by registering the same photo in the system.
During the month of January, however, the HIO imposed an administrative fine, this time totalling €18,500, on four other doctors.
The specific doctors who hold the specialties of haematology, pathological oncology, radiation oncology and pathology, allegedly submitted claims for compensation for inpatient care services which, however, are included in the outpatient services or requested additional compensation for acts included in the compensation package of the service they offered to patients.
Each of these doctors was fined from €1500 to €12,000, depending on the case.
As the competent director of the HIO, Konstantinos Panayidis, told "F", the Organization ended up imposing the specific administrative fines, after first carrying out the necessary checks by monitoring the activity of doctors in the GHS software system.
In the meantime, and as the HIO informed yesterday, in March, any on-site inspections in the hospitals of the General Health System will begin, as part of the examination of the Safety and Quality Indicators applied by the Organization.
According to the relevant announcement/information sent to the hospitals, the inspections will focus on the correctness and completeness of the data submitted, but also on the collection and recording procedures applied by the hospitals, based on a specific scoring methodology.
The inspections will be carried out, on behalf of the HIO, by the Cyprus Certification Company (KEP), with direct communication and coordination with the hospitals, which will be informed in writing of the date, duration and sample to be tested.
The audit will concern the data of the hospitals, as recorded during the period between September - December 2025.
The HIO clarifies, in its announcement, that participation in the audit process is mandatory, both in terms of the presence of competent staff and in terms of the provision of all the necessary supporting documents.
