Regulatory fees to reduce number of prescriptions and emergency visits in Czech Republic

2010-01-11

The introduction of regulatory fees for certain healthcare services in the Czech Republic is thought to be the reason for the significant reduction in the number of prescriptions and emergency visits in 2008, according to the Czech Institute for Health Information and Statistics (UZIS). In 2008 the Czech Republic introduced regulatory fees for doctors’ visits, emergency visits, hospital stays and prescriptions. According to UZIS, in 2008 patients presented 69 million prescriptions in pharmacies – 21 million fewer than any year between 2005 and 2007. Of this number, 59 million prescriptions were for reimbursable medicines, a reduction of more than 25% in comparison with 2007. However, although there was a reduction in the number of reimbursable medicines dispensed at pharmacies, the average reimbursement amount paid by health insurance companies per one packet of medicine increased by 33.2% because doctors were prescribing medicines of superior quality and in larger packets.



The number of emergency visits also fell – in comparison with 2007 – by 41.1% in the case of adults, and by 25% in the case of children. The number of primary care visits in 2008 fell by 17% in comparison with 2007. The reduction in the number of days spent by patients in hospital was marginal. In its analysis, the UZIS emphasised that, although the new fees increased patient co-payment levels, their contribution as a proportion of the healthcare system is still one of the lowest among the OECD countries and constitutes 16.6% of the total spent on healthcare in the country.