Rodolfo Lara
07/13/2020 - 15:43
- Clarín.com
- Politics
The conflict between the Instituto Obra Médico Asistencia (IOMA) and the Platense Medical Association (AMP), could determine the suspension of scheduled surgeries and cancellation of shifts in the provincial capital.
The changes in care would be caused because those affiliated to the social work, the largest in the Province (2,000,000), will have to pay out of pocket, as individuals, for any consultation or practice that was scheduled before this controversy.
After 60 years of operation between both entities, the IOMA decided to cut its agreement with the Union. That determination led to mobilizations and a service strike. One of the origins of the confrontation was the complaint by the Institute about “bad administration” , for an alleged fraud of up to 8 million pesos, where 12 associate professionals would be involved. From the Association they warned that, in reality, the health authorities of the Province try to impede the free choice of the doctor and the place of care. A scheme similar to PAMI.
The controversy affects 300,000 members in Gran La Plata, attended by 5,000 doctors. The Association works as an intermediary for this service and for the professionals' relationship with the IOMA.
In between, to aggravate the situation, the delay in payments and the lack of updating of medical fees are verified.
How is that intermediation of the AMP? Among other activities, he is responsible for billing, payment and all administrative matters. In other words, the bureaucratic part of the relationship between doctors and the IOMA.
Therefore, this Monday it is essential to know if the doctors will accept IOMA's proposal to upload their billing data individually to collect the April fees. As warned by the representatives of the medical entity, uploading the data would in fact assume to be direct providers. It is the point. The members of the Association want to continue under an agreement.
The representatives of the Institute assure that they only have to upload the April billing to the IOMA system with the Unique Banking Code (CBU). "If they have already issued an invoice before the AMP, they can cancel it," according to the explanation. The same after the April payment, to continue as IOMA health providers, doctors must do the same as before, that is, report their practices through the bond system. The difference is that they enter from the IOMA portal and not from the AMP ”, they completed.
What about the complaint? The president of the AMP relativizes. He says it is an excuse for changes. He assures that "some patients do not even say they remember who treated them." He warns that the objective is to break "our representation" to achieve the direct provision of doctors. They also warn with the alleged intention of the IOMA authorities to buy clinics and sanatoriums in critical situation to incorporate it into the system with own providers.
The president of the IOMA, Homero Giles, reaffirmed this Monday that "the separation is from the Platense Medical Association but not from the doctors. " "What changes is that they will receive their payment from the social work, without intermediaries", insisted.
He also maintained the nature of the complaint: “We are not going to reinstate the 12 doctors who were reported for alleged scams because there is evidence to show that they committed illegal acts. So we terminated them. "
The measure was supported by the board of social work.