So now the HSE has 'decided' that we supply high-cost items eg Mic-key, feeding tubes, giving sets, non-GMS feeds, etc (used to be LTI) on hardship, for €5 fee per item + cost + VAT, no mark-up. I just spent €1,500 for a €10 'profit' (2 items).
Don't forget that before you supply you have to get the hardship form filled in, three seperate sections for patient, doctor and pharmacist then wait to see if it is approved. Payment will take 2-3 months and even with the invoices enclosed may not be correct. They won't usually pay for carriage for example.
The hardship scheme isn't part of the contract so you can refuse to supply but then you will lose the patient (maybe no harm if it is costing that much) and a lot of goodwill. There is a good case for washing our hands of those sort of items and letting the HSE put them out to tender to appliance companies to see if anybody will do it for a fiver.
Problem is that involves everybody taking the same course of action and we know how that turned out the last time we tried it.
Got off the phone to one of the staff at Galway this week and I was furious.
Patient in a NH with seriously exuding leg ulcers requiring Profore and Aquacel twice a week... not massively expensive - around €23 a week...
They approve a fortnight at a time meaning I had to find and re-fill in the forms (was doing a locum so wasn't familiar with where everything was kept)
Then chase it up with phonecalls to a person on the end of the line who "hadn't got round to the hardship claims yet this week - I'll do them tomorrow" - THEN when I rang 'tomorrow' was on a half day.... finally by the end of 4 days of begging she admitted they couldn't find the form and would I re-send it !!!!!!!! Made me see red (though I was saccharine-sweet on the phone)
These are PEOPLE they are dealing with - the NH was calling me every day to see if the claim had been approved so they could change the poor soul's dressings !!!!! for 20 lousy euro !!!!!!!!!!
An beagle le dearcadh
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