In order to reduce the cost of treatment, insurances should pay attention to the family doctor's work

Tabriz- The executive vice president emphasized the role of insurances in the implementation of the family doctor system and said: the serious participation of insurances in this plan will reduce the treatment costs and prevent the complications of diseases.

According to Mehr reporter, Mohammad Jaafar Qaim Panah on Tuesday evening in a meeting to review the implementation of the medical services referral system in East Azerbaijan in the presence of Bahram Sarmast, Governor of East Azerbaijan, referring to the implementation of the family doctor plan in Marand seven years ago, he said: Considering the position of this city in the implementation of the plan, it is expected that Marand will be a leader compared to other regions of the country and the implementation process of the program will be followed at a faster pace.

He stated that the family doctor is one of the priorities of the president Masoud Mezikian, and added: Considering the history of the implementation of this plan in the region and the president's emphasis on the development of health services, it is necessary to take operational measures to expand the referral system and cover the target population more seriously.

The family doctor should actively follow up on people's condition

Emphasizing the need for people to be aware of family doctor services, the executive vice president said: People should know that a specific doctor is responsible for following up on their health status and calls them when needed, invites them to perform necessary care and, if necessary, refers them to a specialist.

Ghaem Panah added: For example, the family doctor can contact pregnant women and follow up on the necessary care. Part of these services are free and another part is covered by insurance; Therefore, if people receive services in a tangible way and follow up on their health status, their trust and acceptance of the plan will increase.

He stated that the activity of the family doctor should not be limited only to the time of the patient's visit, and stated: This system should have an active approach; This means that the doctor should follow up on the condition of the covered people, remind them to perform the necessary tests and care, and check the reason why the people in need of care did not come.

The executive vice president continued: In a complex with a population of several thousand people, hundreds of people may need special care. The family doctor must identify these people and avoid delay in diagnosis and treatment of diseases by continuous follow-up.

Insurance participation reduces treatment costs

Pointing to the benefits of the referral system and the family doctor, Ghaem Panah said: simultaneous attention to the physical, mental and social aspects of health can lead to a reduction of diseases, their complications and the duration of treatment. In the long run, treatment costs for the people and the government will decrease.

Emphasizing the role of insurance companies in the implementation of this system, he stated: if the insurance companies seek to control their costs and prevent induction services, they should have a more serious participation in the implementation of the family doctor; Because the prevention of diseases and their timely control reduces the treatment costs of the insured.

Referring to diabetes, Ghaempanah said: proper control of blood sugar can reduce the possibility of complications such as eye damage, kidney damage, and heart disease. Also, blood pressure control through medication, nutrition modification and physical activity can prevent further complications.

He added: The correct implementation of the family doctor system, in addition to reducing the direct costs of treatment, also reduces the indirect costs of patients.

The executive vice president explained: visiting patients from Marand to Tabriz to receive specialized services may require travel expenses, spending time, accompanying family members and even staying for several days to receive an appointment. In addition to treatment costs, these conditions prevent people from work and daily activities for a while.

Referring to his experience during his residency in the region, he said: In the past, the absence of some specialists, including ophthalmologists, forced patients to go to other regions to receive the necessary services. Strengthening first-level health services and proper implementation of the referral system can prevent some of these referrals and additional costs.

The need to accelerate the appointment of people to family doctors

Stating that assigning people to family doctors is the starting point for the implementation of this system, Qaimpanah called for a more serious follow-up of this issue in the province and said: the process of identifying and assigning the population should speed up, and the cooperation of insurance companies and the implementation of related instructions should also be followed seriously.

Pointing to the role of local managers in advancing the plan, he added: the governor, the governor, and Friday imam can play an effective role in accelerating the implementation of the family doctor; Of course, the responsible ministries and insurances must also perform their duties more quickly.

Referring to the President's continuous emphasis on the implementation of this plan, the Executive Vice President stated: The implementation of the family doctor has been of concern since the Ministry of Health took charge of doctors, and now this issue is being continuously pursued. The available opportunity should be used to advance the project and provide the basis for its expansion.

Comparing the practice of family doctor to the growth of a plant, Ghaem Panah said: Just as a plant needs continuous care to grow, this system must also be continuously supported and strengthened. Doctors should be trained and motivated to participate in the project, their performance should be evaluated and positive results and successful experiences should be used to improve the implementation process.

He expressed his hope that in the current period, at least at the first and second level of health services, 60 to 70 percent of people will have access to a family doctor and the referral system will be implemented in a real way.

Using the capacity of the country's health network

Referring to Iran's experience in providing health services in rural areas, the executive vice president said: the country's health network system has an important capacity to develop family doctors, and the experience of health workers and health care workers can be used to strengthen primary care.

Recalling his experience in the children's hospital in 1998 and 1999, Ghaem Panah added: In those years, there were many cases of children contracting measles, but today, the new generation of doctors are less likely to face such cases. Controlling diseases such as measles and whooping cough and reducing cases of infant tetanus are among the results of the activities of health care workers and health workers in different regions of the country.

He emphasized: This experience shows that the country's health network has a suitable capacity for the development of the family doctor system, and this capacity should be used to increase service coverage and follow up on people's health status.

On-line monitoring of plan implementation and timely payment of resources

Pointing to the online monitoring of the family doctor implementation process in different cities, Qaim Panah said: Information about the covered population and the performance of related networks is checked through the systems, but some recorded data and feedback show that the implementation process in some areas needs more follow-up.

Emphasizing the necessity of continuous evaluation of the performance of the province, he added: it is necessary to define specific indicators to measure the progress of the plan; including the percentage of the population attributed to the family doctor and the number of patients covered by the required care. Also, the management dashboard should be designed in such a way that the process of assigning people to family doctors can be clearly evaluated.

Referring to the role of providing financial resources in the continuation of the plan, the Executive Vice President stated: Payments in proportion to the number of covered people should be made on time, and even the related insurance per capita can be paid one or two months earlier so that the implementation of the program can proceed more stably and quickly.

At the end, Qaimpanah pointed out the relationship between health and social and economic issues and said: issues such as unemployment, poverty and nutrition can also be pursued with a neighborhood-based approach and be placed alongside health services. Simultaneous attention to physical, psychological, social and family issues can provide the basis for improving people's quality of life.