The 2018-2019 agreement between physicians and health insurance funds has been published!
On 19 December 2017, the Belgian National Commission of Representatives of Physicians and Health insurance funds concluded an agreement for the years 2018 and 2019.
This agreement was approved by the Council of Ministers on 2 February 2018 and was published in the Belgian Official Moniteur of 13 February 2018.
The agreement is based on the following basic principles:
- Improve the organisation and the quality of care in several areas for both General and Specialised Medicine.
- Ensure the deployment of the e-health action plan.
- Optimise price security for patients, through measures making it possible to limit additional fees.
- Develop effective treatments among care prescribers and care providers.
- Update and recalculate the accreditation system.
- Adapt the Nomenclature of health services based on a field analysis.
- Develop initiatives promoting cross-practice collaboration between physicians and other health care providers as regards long-term or complex care.
Concerning the financial aspects, we will recall some good news for the patient: there will be no increase in the co-payment. An indexation of the fees is planned: in principle, physicians’ fees will be increased by 1.50%. Some exceptions are provided for: consultations with General Practitioners and Specialists will be indexed at 1.68 %.
With regard to the quality of the care, the agreement provides in particular for financial incentives to improve the quality of the Global Medical File [Dossier Médical Global - DMG].
Several measures are taken to make "E-health" a priority. We recall in particular that electronic billing with health insurance funds will become possible in 2018.
With regard to additional fees, the Belgian National Commission of Representatives of Physicians and Health insurance funds [CNMM] is pushing for a “standstill” until the end of 2019, to the extent that it goes hand in hand with a freeze of physicians’ contributions and further savings in addition to any corrections in the case of a budget overrun.
Measures are also being implemented to empower prescribers. Thus, in early 2018, a new action plan in the area of controlling health care will be presented to the General Council.
The agreement announces another reform of the accreditation system planned for 2019.
A review of the classification of the nomenclature is also planned in collaboration with a group of experts.
It is now up to the doctors who wish to partially endorse or who do not wish to endorse this agreement, to inform the Belgium National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance [Institut National d'Assurance Maladie Invalidite - INAMI] beginning on 13 February and no later than 15 March 2018.
Associated areas of specialisation: Health and social security