The Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of stricter supervision of health centers, and in particular of prior approval of the ARS for those who provide dental or ophthalmological care, in order to fight against possible abuses.
The text, to which the senators have made some modifications, will now return to the second reading in the National Assembly.
The bill by MP Fadila Khattabi (Renaissance) provides that centers wishing to open and offer dental or ophthalmological care must first submit a "
health project
", "
declarations of links and conflicts of interest
" from their governing body, and the "
contracts linking (their) managing body to third-party companies
", in order to benefit from ARS approval.
It would be temporary (one year) and would only be made permanent after a compliance visit.
The establishments will have to submit to the ARS and to the regional order of doctors or dental surgeons the contracts and diplomas of the caregivers hired.
Creation of a “medical committee”
Existing centers would have six months to apply for accreditation concerning their dental and ophthalmological care.
The senators increased from two years to 30 months the deadline after which no center could offer this type of care without approval.
This leaves the ARS two years after the submission of the last files to issue approvals to these centers.
The text also provides for the creation of a “
medical committee
” which would be responsible for each center for the quality and safety of care “and would regularly report to the ARS.
Sanctions are also provided for or reinforced against center managers who fail to fulfill their obligations.
The senators again raised the values of the maximum administrative fine and the daily penalty, respectively to 500,000 and 5,000 euros.
The Minister in charge of Territorial Organization and Health Professions Agnès Firmin Le Bodo indicated “fully subscribe” to this hardening.
The bill follows in particular the Dentexia scandal (low-cost dental centers liquidated after numerous complaints from patients) and Proxidentaire (dozens of patients had denounced ill-treatment, mutilation and financial abuse).
Read alsoOverbilling, badly performed acts... The excesses of certain dental and ophthalmology centers
The LR rapporteur for the Senate Jean Sol deemed it "
essential
", while regretting that it "
does not carry a new vision of the organization of city care
".
"
Regulating means restoring the confidence of the French in health centers
", underlined Agnès Firmin Le Bodo.
