Targeting in particular the excesses of certain low-cost dental and ophthalmological centers, the National Assembly voted on Friday evening to strengthen the supervision of health centers and sanctions in the event of breaches.
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For some centers,
"the regional health agencies (ARS) report poorly compliant practices, both from a medical point of view (defective practices, over-treatment, poor keeping of medical records), and from an ethical point of view"
, had raised the issue. President of the Social Affairs Commission Fadila Khattabi (LREM) last week. As part of the examination of the 2022 budget for the Social Security, the deputies validated its amendment, which provides for an end to the automatic agreement with the Health Insurance of health centers. Thus,
"the quality of the care provided as well as the reliability of the practitioners recruited there"
will be verified, according to Fadila Khattabi.
In certain cases of failure, the regional health agency may impose an administrative fine of a maximum amount of 150,000 euros, accompanied by a fine of 1,000 euros per day.
The revenue from these sanctions will be allocated to Health Insurance, in order to take care of the victims of the failing centers.
The government added that emergency deconventionning of the centers will be possible in the event of
"particularly serious breach of commitments"
.
Specific obligations
And at the initiative of Fadila Khattabi and the general rapporteur Thomas Mesnier, the Assembly has provided for several specific obligations for dental or ophthalmological centers,
"justified by the concentration of excesses in these types of centers".
A referent dental surgeon or ophthalmologist must be appointed. The center manager must send the ARS copies of the employment contracts of salaried doctors, so that this information can be cross-checked with the council of the medical order. In addition, approval is provided for after a compliance visit, in order to prevent the opening of fraudulent centers.
At the beginning of October again, the treasurer of two Proxidentaire centers in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté was indicted after the filing of 76 complaints from patients denouncing ill-treatment, mutilation and financial abuse.
Ms. Khattabi, elected from Côte d'Or, was sensitized by victims of one of these centers.
