Patients bleed hospitals dry
2006-02-02 08:42
Polokwane - Hospitals in Limpopo are owed about R146m by patients whose medical aid companies haven't settled their bills and those who lied about being poor.
Limpopo has 43 state hospitals that provide private wards for financially well-off patients who prefer to use their own doctors, instead of state doctors.
Provincial health spokesperson Phuthi Seloba said on Tuesday that the department was seeking tenders from debt collection companies to collect the outstanding money, starting in March.
"Some patients provide false information and it becomes difficult for us to collect our money but after appointing the company, we'll be able to pin the cheaters down," said Seloba.
The legislature's Select Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) noted that debts from these patients rose from R83,6m in 2003 to R146m in 2004.
Seloba said it was mostly patients on medical aid who were in arrears and those who lied about being poor so they could get cheaper services.
"We've given medical aid [companies] the option to pay accounts electronically or directly into the department's bank. Most of them prefer this arrangement and 90% are now paying in that manner," he said.
He said the arrangement increased the collection of outstanding fees from about R25 000 to R420 000 a month.
Seloba said hospitals were already verifying patients' personal details in their outpatient departments to enable billing officers to trace defaulters.
They were also issuing regular reminders to medical aid companies that still owed money.
The debt-collecting company, he said, would target accounts that have been in arrears for over six months.
The department has finalised the appointment of hospital chief executive officers to tighten up general management, including revenue collection, he added.