Contents
The head of the CSS health insurance company, Philomena Colatrella, is convinced that networking the data of doctors and hospitals with that of the health insurance companies would enable major savings.
Health insurance premiums are rising and rising. Since this year, the Swiss population has been paying over eight percent more. More and more people can no longer pay these premiums and are dependent on premium reductions from the public sector. The head of CSS, the largest basic health insurance company, Philomena Colatrella, is also concerned.
She doesn’t see a miracle cure for this. However, she hopes that the ongoing reforms – such as uniform compensation for outpatient and inpatient services and the reform of tariffs – will curb costs in the next few years.
If the cost drivers can be determined, the catalog of services that the health insurance companies cover can be adjusted accordingly.
At the same time, she regrets that the potential of digitalization is not being used enough: The data that is available digitally from doctors and hospitals must be linked to that of the health insurance companies. “If you do it right, it will of course help to identify the oversupply and the inadequate supply.” This could create transparency about who carried out which treatments on a patient.
Determine cost drivers thanks to greater transparency
So far it is not clear enough which interventions are driving up costs unnecessarily. In order to create more transparency, the data from service providers and insurers must be linked, demands Philomena Colatrella. “If the cost drivers can be determined, the catalog of services that the health insurance companies cover can be adjusted accordingly.”
Data sovereignty always remains with the patients.
Philomena Colatrella emphasizes that it is important that the federal government is responsible for controlling the new data interfaces, because this is the only way data protection can be guaranteed. “Data sovereignty always remains with the patients.”
Criticism of the current electronic patient record
The federal government is working under the title Digisanté to advance digitalization in the healthcare system. However, the head of the CSS regrets that this did not happen long ago. She is skeptical that the 400 million francs used for the project will actually be used in a targeted manner.
The current electronic patient record does not have enough functionality that is interesting for patients but also for doctors.
For example, the electronic patient record, whose dissemination is to be promoted, is not yet designed well enough: “The current electronic patient record does not have enough functionality that is interesting for patients but also for doctors.”
Collect data – only as much as necessary
If done correctly, the CSS boss is convinced that the electronic patient record could also reduce costs in the healthcare system. Today, complaints and medical history are always asked and recorded several times. Important time, but often also information, is lost.
At the same time, it is important that data is not simply collected indiscriminately, but only the data that is actually necessary at the time when a decision has to be made in a medical history. Philomena Colatrella hopes that the current project will be adapted.