One month guarantee of treatment suspended

Some hospital patients may have to wait longer for their operations as a consequence of the breakdown in negotiations between the Danish Regions and the private hospitals trade organization BPK.

The breakdown involves 12 types of treatment, and means that public sector hospitals are no longer obligated under the extended free choice of hospital act to pass patients on to private hospitals when they cannot be treated in public sector hospitals within a month, says the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

- If there is no agreement with a specific private hospital or clinic regarding the required treatment, citizens have no claims on treatment there, the ministry informs news agency Ritzau.

Disagreement over rates
The contested treatments include operations for obesity, herniated disks, prostate hyperplasia, and operations of the shoulder and upper arm, knees, thighs, lower leg, and gall bladder.

The Danish Regions and BPK have not been able to agree on 2010 rates for these types of operation. The regions want lower rates than last year, while the private hospitals demand higher rates.

The regions expect that some of the roughly fifty private hospitals and clinics will agree to the lower rates, even if their trade organization refuses. That will help shorten waiting lists.

Board of arbitration has one month
It is uncertain to what extend the public sector hospitals may be able to treat patients within the one-month deadline before the guarantee of treatment allows patients to choose treatment in private hospitals.

A board of arbitration including representatives from the regions and the BPK, and led by an impartial arbitrator, is supposed to fix new payment rates for the 12 types of operation within the next month or so.

However, the private hospitals are free to reject the rates fixed by the board of arbitration, as well.

Translated by Martin Lamberth