LAW FOR SECOND LARGEST REFORM AFTER GESY IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH WAS PASSED - NATIONAL CLINICAL DOCUMENTATION CENTRE IS OFFICIALLY ESTABLISHED - CONTROL OF SERVICES AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES - Filenews 26/3 by Marilena Panayi
The Plenary Session of the Parliament gave the green light for the implementation of the second largest reform in the health sector after the General Health System (GHS), with the adoption of the law on the establishment of the National Center for Clinical Documentation.
The Center, according to the law, will have the competence to develop or adapt international clinical protocols, guidelines and clinical pathways according to the data and needs of Cyprus while at the same time, it will provide training to health professionals, patients and other stakeholders. It will monitor and evaluate the implementation of clinical guidelines and develop clinical control strategies, including inspection programmes and accreditation schemes for services.
In addition, it will define quality indicators and standards, while participating in re-evaluation processes of health professionals, developing systems for the evaluation of professionals by their colleagues and introducing reward mechanisms for providers and organizations that apply best clinical practices.
Among the responsibilities of the Center are the development or adaptation of pharmaceutical protocols and the evaluation of protocols for medical equipment, with the possibility of advising the Health Insurance Organization on their inclusion in the GHS.
To this end, the Parliament voted today to amend the legislation of the GHS so that it is possible to transfer the Advisory Committee on Medicines from the HIO to the EKKT.
It also regulates ensuring the implementation of the legislation through the monitoring of health service providers and stipulates that the Centre will be able to take any action deemed necessary to achieve its objectives.
One of the most important provisions of the bill concerns the ability of the Center to carry out clinical audits, inspections and evaluations and to reflect their results.
It will collect data on the quality of health services from competent authorities or organizations, and will carry out analyses based on predefined indicators.
The Center will develop quality assessment tools that patients can use themselves, as well as indicators based on patient reports.
In addition, the Center has a responsibility to identify and analyze gaps in the quality of the health services provided that need to be improved and to carry out any necessary activity to achieve its goals.
