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01/07/2008
€25M Of Bills Uncollected By HSE
The strapped-for-cash Health Service has let more than €25m in patient charges slip for the year 2007 alone, new figures have revealed.
The figure is €6 million higher that the amount of uncollected charges from the previous year. The news comes as a departmental recruitment freeze comes into force, while the HSE faces huge budgetary cuts, as the Government clamps down on the spending of many of its sections.
Most of the uncollected charges relate to maintenance and inpatient charges of which €194,605,139 was billed and €176,402,143 was collected in 2007.
Other uncollected charges at the end of the year included €2,624,876 for outpatients, €2,306,701 for emergency departments and €2,261,287 for long-stay care.
Medical card holders are exempt from paying charges, and many of the outstanding charges are expected to relate to card holders that did not reveal their card holding status.
New charges which came into effect at the beginning of the year mean that patients who attend the outpatients and emergency departments (EDs) of a public hospital without being referred there by a GP may be charged €66 with the maximum charge for anyone in public long-stay care, which is divided into two classes, is €120 per week.
The HSE, however, has the discretion to reduce or waive the charges entirely, in order to avoid hardship.
The responsibility for the collection of charges lies with the hospital managers. Procedures for collection of outstanding debts vary from hospital to hospital.
(DW)
The figure is €6 million higher that the amount of uncollected charges from the previous year. The news comes as a departmental recruitment freeze comes into force, while the HSE faces huge budgetary cuts, as the Government clamps down on the spending of many of its sections.
Most of the uncollected charges relate to maintenance and inpatient charges of which €194,605,139 was billed and €176,402,143 was collected in 2007.
Other uncollected charges at the end of the year included €2,624,876 for outpatients, €2,306,701 for emergency departments and €2,261,287 for long-stay care.
Medical card holders are exempt from paying charges, and many of the outstanding charges are expected to relate to card holders that did not reveal their card holding status.
New charges which came into effect at the beginning of the year mean that patients who attend the outpatients and emergency departments (EDs) of a public hospital without being referred there by a GP may be charged €66 with the maximum charge for anyone in public long-stay care, which is divided into two classes, is €120 per week.
The HSE, however, has the discretion to reduce or waive the charges entirely, in order to avoid hardship.
The responsibility for the collection of charges lies with the hospital managers. Procedures for collection of outstanding debts vary from hospital to hospital.
(DW)
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