Fee schedules and cost containment
Herrmann, F.ço.R.; Perneger, T.
Revue Medicale Suisse 5(225): 2254-2257
2009
ISSN/ISBN: 1660-9379 PMID: 19999312 Document Number: 12654
Medical fee schedules are controversial. In this paper we examine the reasons that justify the imposition of fee schedules in the presence of a socially financed health insurance system, and examine the ways of constructing a medical fee schedule. The weakness of fee-for-service tariffs is that they do not allow a control of health care costs if the volume of services is unchecked. Current solutions to this problem--audit of doctors' average cost per case, freeze on new medical practices, or the insurers' discretion in choosing the doctors they reimburse--have multiple drawbacks. Alternatives to fee-for-service payment--such as flat fees, or payment based on the quality of medical services--are discussed.
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