Healthcare, here are the services that will be guaranteed by the new essential levels of assistance (Lea)
The State-Regions Conference and the Ministry of Health have reached an agreement on the essential levels of assistance (Lea), i.e. the minimum levels of assistance that the NHS is required to guarantee to citizens. 402 million euros are foreseen for the moment but an increase in resources is not excluded. All the details
The essential levels of assistance (Lea), i.e. the services guaranteed by the National Health Service (NHS) to citizens free of charge or with the payment of a ticket, were stuck in 2017, the year in which their updated version was approved but never applied for financial coverage issues.
Now, with yesterday's go-ahead, the tariff decree will become a reality from next year and provide for a series of services ranging from diagnostic tests to prostheses.
THE RATES DECREE
The decree, approved in the State-Regions Conference and in concert with the Ministry of the Economy, updates the tariffs for specialist outpatient services and prosthetic assistance unchanged from 1996 and 1999, respectively.
The new tariffs will enter into force from 1 January 2024 for specialist outpatient assistance and from 1 April 2024 for prosthetic assistance.
ALL THE NUMBERS OF THE NEW LEA
The over 400 new services – which until now were almost experimental in nature or could only be performed in hospitalization, while now they can be provided in outpatient clinics or day hospitals – go from 1,702 to 2,108
On the other hand, the number of devices included in the price list for prostheses and aids decreased from 1,315 to 1,063, with the exclusion of some now obsolete devices and the introduction of new technologies long awaited by the disabled.
THE NEWS IN THE AMBULATORY SPECIALIST
Among the innovations included in the Lea for outpatient specialist care, the Ministry of Health informs that there will be the homogeneous distribution of medically assisted procreation services throughout the territory; services for the diagnosis or monitoring of celiac disease and rare diseases; indispensable performance for high-precision instrumental diagnostic investigations in the field of diagnostic imaging capable of allowing faster and more reliable diagnoses; enteroscopy with ingestible microcamera, newborn screening.
Genetic counseling is introduced for those who undergo a test useful for confirming or excluding a suspected diagnosis, also aimed at providing the necessary support to deal with often emotionally difficult situations in relation to the possible implications associated with communicating the result.
Radiotherapy services were also updated, ensuring that all patients were provided with highly innovative services such as stereotactic radiotherapy, hadrontherapy and radiotherapy with a robotic arm.
THE NEWS FOR PROSTHETIC ASSISTANCE
Among the services for prosthetic assistance, the Ministry continues, IT and communication aids are envisaged (including eye communicators and keyboards adapted for people with very serious disabilities); digital technology hearing aids home automation equipment and command and control sensors for environments (alarm and remote assistance); cutlery and furnishings adapted for motor disabilities, stretcher adapted for the shower, four-wheeled scooters, wheelchairs with verticalisation system, wheelchairs for large and complex disabilities, fixed and bathtub lifters, support systems in the bathroom (grab bars and armrests), stairlift trolleys for interiors; advanced technology artificial limbs and voice recognition and gaze pointing systems.
THE COMMENT OF MINISTER SCHILLACI
Satisfaction for the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, who recalled that, thanks to the approval of the tariff decree, the new Leas introduce "technologically advanced services" and exclude "obsolete" ones.
"All citizens, overcoming the lack of homogeneity of assistance – said the Minister – will finally be able to take advantage of services in every area of the nation in step with the now consolidated medical-scientific acquisitions, with positive effects also in terms of containing healthcare mobility".
At the moment, in fact, as Start had written, not all the Regions had been promoted regarding the effective disbursement of the Lea and, indeed, only 11 were those considered – by the Ministry itself – compliant.
BUT WILL THE RESOURCES ENOUGH?
For the implementation of the new Lea – so far impossible due to lack of economic resources – 402 million euros have been foreseen but Schillacilet it be known that if "the need for greater expenditure should emerge […] which someone quantifies at 200 million, there we will cope".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/sanita-ecco-le-prestazioni-che-saranno-garantite-dai-nuovi-livelli-essenziali-di-assistenza-lea/ on Thu, 20 Apr 2023 09:18:51 +0000.