Waiting times for a specialist visit or a diagnostic test can often be very long. However, there is a way to skip the long lines at the hospital. Here are some solutions that no one (or almost) knows!
As many know, hospital waiting lists can be long and exhausting. Moreover, in the public health system, resources are often limited, while the set of patients who need health care is very numerous. Therefore, it often happens that it is not possible to guarantee immediate access to these services. As a rule, citizens are placed on the waiting list based on various parameters ranging from the urgency of the case to clinical priority and, obviously, based on the date on which the request for the service is made.
However, when waiting lists become an obstacle for those who need to undergo a specialist visit or a diagnostic test, one could find oneself dealing with a truly disheartening situation.
Fortunately, there are tricks available to patients through which it is possible to skip the line at the hospital. Let’s see what are the solutions that only a few know.
How to skip the long lines at the hospital? The possible solutions
For the uninitiated, in our country, the law recognizes the sick person the right to medical services within certain times. Specifically, it establishes 30 days for specialist medical visits and 60 days for diagnostic tests.
Nonetheless, these terms are often exceeded, putting patients in the position of waiting for very long times with the risk of worsening their state of health or, alternatively, to turn to private structures and, therefore, incur rather high costs. Fortunately, even if few know it, there is a solution that allows patients to receive medical services intramoenia, that is, without incurring additional costs compared to those incurred for the payment of the co-payment. This right, provided for by legislative decree number 124/1998, is recognized precisely in the event that the hospital is unable to guarantee the waiting times established by law.
To take advantage of an intramoenia service, a specific request must be sent to the general manager of the relevant Healthcare Company. It will be enough to indicate the requested service, the date by which the service should be provided by law and specify that it is an emergency, therefore, incompatible with waiting times that are too long. Should the hospital not be able to guarantee this right, the patient can go to private facilities and subsequently request reimbursement from the Health Authority.