Pretoria - The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has urged healthcare practitioners not to enter into any agreements that may result in the quality of clinical care being compromised.
The HPCSA said it had noted the practice of enticing practitioners to enter into Designated Service Provider (DSN) and Preferred Provider Network (PPN) contracts with medical aid schemes.
The council said that while these schemes may not, per se, be illegal, it was concerned about the potential ethical transgressions that may arise from practitioners entering into these agreements with schemes.
“DSP and PPN agreements take varied forms, but are basically when a practitioner enters into an agreement with a medical aid scheme, which results in direct payment and being listed as a preferred service provider.
“The area of concern is that schemes in certain instances exert pressure on medical practitioners to prescribe certain medication or take certain decisions on behalf of patients that will benefit the scheme and not necessarily the patient and/or make clinical decisions aimed at cost-cutting,” said the HPCSA in a statement.
The HPCSA has already consulted with the South African Medical Association (SAMA), which represents a large portion of medical practitioners. Together, they have outlined concerns where these ethical problems may arise.
“SAMA has been very proactive and positive in addressing these issues with their members and the council appreciates all these efforts. However, all practitioners who feel unduly pressurised to sign such contracts, or are placed in any position where they feel their ethics could be compromised, are urged to contact the HPCSA for guidance.
“They may also contact the Council for Medical Schemes if there are any transgressions by the schemes.”
HPCSA urged patients, if they feel their health has been compromised due to such an agreement, to contact the council.
“The HPCSA has a mandate to protect the rights of patients and to guide the professions across South Africa. While healthcare costs are a constant concern to all parties, only by working together within the prescribed ethical guidelines can we ensure that all parties’ rights and responsibilities are met.” – SAnews.gov.za
