The State Ombudsman Committee convened on Tuesday in light of complaints regarding the waiting period for patients seeking to meet with a medical specialist in Kupat Cholim (HMO). Too many patients are being compelled to wait extended periods of time, and the system does not really have any criteria addressing the waiting period.
Committee chairman, MK (Yahadut HaTorah) R’ Uri Maklev pointed out there appears to be a growing trend, sending more patients to specialists instead of the family physician treating them. Maklev added the Health Ministry is expected to monitor the waiting period to see a specialist and it appears the ministry is not doing its job. He added the HMOs are guilty of foot-dragging and wearing people down as they seek the advice of a specialist. Maklev stated most patients will wait over a month for such an appointment.
Maklev added the state is responsible for the well-being of its citizens and the state must ensure the system works, and permits patient access to physicians. He is calling on the ministry to develop a plan and determine a maximum waiting period for one seeking to meet with a specialist. He pointed out that for a parent with a child exhibiting developmental lags, the wait for an evaluation with a specialist may be six months, an unacceptably long period of time.
HMO representatives attending the meeting stated that every HMO has its own internal standards which are not revealed to the general public, adding that overall, they are satisfied with the system as it is today. They did acknowledge that a system wide standard for waiting periods would be beneficial as well as the need to define parameters for urgent cases. The HMO representatives place the responsibility on the family physicians.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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7 Responses
Privatize the healthcare system, turn the judiciary over to the chareidi rabbis who will use halacha and therefore will place de facto limits on tort and the Israelis will attract the best and brightes Jewish specialists from the world over.
The wait for a specialist visit in Israel is less than half the time in the States. You can wait 3+ months here to see a specialist, *IF* your HMO approves it, which they likely will not.
We have at least 5 (!) HMO’s in Israel….which one is this article referring to??
Some are better than others.
I NEVER have to wait more than a few days to see a specialist.
Articles like this are problematic as they make Israel seem like some sort of terrible place to live with bad medicine. Please…..there is a lot to complain about in Israel, but B”H medicine is not high on the list.
If we get the government out of the insurance business and stop overregulating it and suing all the doctors for every stupid excuse while preserving the rights to sue and collect large judgements for those who deserve it, (like someone who goes in for appendicitis and gets a leg amputated instead, for example) then doctors could get back to healing instead of constantly looking over their shoulders or hassling with expensive and time wasting burocracies.
I actually find the system here to be excellent. I have no problem in getting appointments and if something is urgent, the secretaries are normally accommodating in finding a solution for an early appointment. My Health fund is good in reimbursing expenses; giving authorisations, etc.
We have to wait 3 months for a neurologist in Jerusalem.
However, if we’re willing to travel a bit, it can be faster – for example, in Raanana, we could get an appointment in 7 weeks (compared to 12 weeks in Jerusalem).
I’m from Holland, where the situation is far, far worse. In Israel, the problem only exists with several specialties, but not all of them. In Holland, there is a huge problem with all specialties.
This article is right on.
To see a real specialist, who really knows what they are talking about you need to wait. For a good Ob/Gyn average of 4-6 weeks. Dermatologists 3-5 weeks… etc…One of the most important things we need to wait for is therapy for developmentally delayed children which can take anywhere from 3-6 months. This is precious time lost.