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[PIO] "5 Years of GESY" - Aiming at the continuous enrichment of the services provided and the upgrading of quality

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The General Health System (GHS) has completed five years of life, ensuring equal access to health services for all our fellow citizens without exceptions, while creating the conditions for an effective Health System that is constantly evolving and improving. Logically, such a major reform, which concerns the whole of society, presents constant challenges and increasing demands, and requires maximum use of the available resources. For this reason, the Agency's main concern is to continuously enrich the services provided and improve quality, while enhancing the financial sustainability of the GHS.

THE GESY IN NUMBERS (JUNE 2023 - MAY 2024)

In the fifth year of operation of the GESY there are969,722 registered beneficiaries, who received, among others, the following services.

  1. 807,331 beneficiaries have visited their Personal Physicians.
  2. 637,536 beneficiaries have visited their Personal Physicians.
  3. 319,259 beneficiaries have visited Radiology / Diagnostic Centres.
  4. 501,035 beneficiaries have undergone laboratory tests.
  5. 318,990 beneficiaries have visited Dentists.
  6. 698.650 beneficiaries have received medication.

During the same period 83,166 operations were performed. As an indication, some of the operations performed. [*]15,035 Orthopaedic Surgeries [*]2,693 Cataract Surgeries. [*]12,318 Gynaecological operations (excluding obstetrics). [*]7.920 Childbirths. [*]7,381 ENT operations. [*]5,637 Urological operations. [*]3.428 Neurosurgical operations. [*]2.528 Ophthalmological operations. [*]1 698 Cardiothoracic surgery. [*]175 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) procedures. [*]235 Interventions using the Robotic Method. [/LIST]

GESY SERVICE DIRECTORY

The vision of the Agency is for every citizen to have lifelong equal and unhindered access to quality health care services. That is why it is working relentlessly in this direction, constantly expanding and enriching the services provided by the GHS.

The new services included in the period June 2023 - June 2024 include:

  1. 4 new inpatient units,
  2. 2 Accident and Emergency Departments (AEDs),
  3. 2 day care centers,
  4. Expansion of institutional rehabilitation services,
  5. 1 more home-based palliative care provider,
  6. Expansion of speech therapy, clinical dietetics and general nursing services,
  7. Inclusion of podiatry services,
  8. Inclusion of new dialysis centers, and
  9. 45 new innovative drugs and 78 new treatments.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

The Agency, with a focus on continuously improving the quality of services for the benefit of all beneficiaries, implemented a number of measures.

Specifically, for the period June 2023 - June 2024:

  1. The remuneration of providers was linked to the quality of services, based on quality criteria and performance indicators.
  2. Continued implementation of clinical guidelines and quality indicators, in collaboration with the Pancyprian Medical Association (PIS) and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE);
  3. Continued implementation of quality assessment of referrals issued by Personal Physicians (PIs) to Specialist Physicians (SPs). Direct access to the services of the GIS was given to specific categories of patients, through the introduction of registers of chronic patients (6 registers):
    1. Patients with cancer
    2. Patients with chronic haematological neoplasm
    3. Patients with diabetes
    4. Patients with thalassaemia
    5. Patients with hyperlipidemia
    6. Patients with exonerative dialysis.
  4. To reduce waiting times in EI, the Agency has proceeded with the categorization of referrals into routine and urgent. In addition, it is considering further measures to address waiting times by specialty.
  5. To better serve beneficiaries, the Information System (IS) has been upgraded, where beneficiaries can now be informed about vaccinations, medications received, PI replacements, etc. Changes were also made to the CP for proper prescription of antibiotics.
  6. Beneficiaries were informed by SMS to remind them to take preventive tests, such as Pap tests, and after each visit to PIs and EIs.

ENSURING THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF GESY

The Agency's highest priority is to shield and enhance its financial viability through a series of plans and actions to remain strong and efficient. The 2nd Successive Actuarial Study by the ILO (International Labour Organisation) was completed at the beginning of 2024 and showed that with the current data the GFSF is financially viable until 2031, maintaining sufficient reserves throughout this period.

The Fund's reserves at the end of 2023 amounted to €590 million.

However, the Agency is not complacent and monitors on a monthly basis the evolution of the Fund's expenditure and revenue, constantly extending controls to effectively address any problems arising from abuses or other distortions.

The Agency is not complacent and monitors on a monthly basis the evolution of the Fund's expenditure and revenue, constantly extending controls to effectively address any problems arising from abuses or other distortions. At the same time, it continues to implement the Roadmap to effectively address abuses.

PROVIDER COMPLIANCE CHECK

The Agency, since its first day of operation, has been carrying out regular audits to confirm the compliance of providers and beneficiaries with the legal framework for the operation of the GHS, but above all to control and combat both abuse and fraud.

As part of its audits, the Agency has carried out:

    1. Suspension and/or termination of 11 provider contracts:
      1. 3 Nurses,
      2. 5 Specialists,
      3. 2 Nurses, and
      4. 1 Laboratory.
    3. Rejections of claims in excess of EUR 10 million.
    4. Administrative penalties and fines in 70 cases, including fines of EUR 70 thousand.
    5. 600 ex-officio investigations, which are expected to be completed by the end of the year 2024.
    6. 140 154 reassessments and 63 995 deletions of beneficiaries.
    7. Purchase of specific software for analysis and specialised control of inpatient cases.

    SURVEY OF BENEFICIARIES' SATISFACTION WITH GESY SERVICES

    A survey by an independent research company, conducted in April 2024, showed that five years after GESY, people embraced it, that it has improved their quality of life and that they feel they have access to a system that is for everyone. 92% of participants said that the GHS has improved the quality of health services provided to our citizens.

    To question: "What are the greatest benefits through the implementation of the GHS?", 62% responded that the cost of access was reduced/eliminated, 32% that there was more choice for health care providers, 21% that the quality of services was improved and 19% that waiting times/waiting lists were reduced.

    At the same time, in response to the question: "What is the most serious weakness of the GHS?", 32% responded the waiting list for visiting a doctor or undergoing surgery, 24% answered waiting lists for specific types of tests and medications, 23% answered the need to obtain a referral from a PI to go to the EI, and 11% answered not meeting needs in specific specialties.

    OAI STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE PERIOD 2024-2026

    The Agency's Board of Directors completed the Strategic Plan, which will be made public in the coming weeks.

    The aim of the Strategic Plan for the period 2024-2026 is to provide a mechanism to guide the Agency's decisions in order to properly plan the next actions and address challenges.

    In particular, it is based on four strategic objectives: Quality health care services

    1. Timely delivery of health care services to beneficiaries,
    2. Strengthening primary health care,
    3. Accessibility of beneficiaries with disabilities,
    4. Improving the patient experience,
    5. Promoting best practices,
    6. Patient safety, and
    7. Monitoring of providers' contractual obligations.

    STRATEGIC ACHIEVEMENT 2: Enriching health care services

    1. Introducing innovative medicines and innovative treatments, and
    2. Broadening the package of health care services.

    STRATEGIC ACHIEVEMENT 3: Financial sustainability of the GHS

    1. Balanced Budget,
    2. Efficient management of the Health Insurance Fund,
    3. Control and supervision,
    4. Maintenance and efficient management of the reserve.

    STRATEGIC ACHIEVEMENT 4: Continuous modernization and optimization

    1. Continuous improvement of effectiveness and efficiency,
    2. Risk monitoring and regulatory compliance,
    3. Digital acceleration and automation,
    4. Effective communication,
    5. Organization and staffing, and
    6. Effective governance.

    THE NEXT STEPS

    With people and their needs at the heart of its work, the Agency has set the following priorities. [*]To further shield and strengthen the financial sustainability of the GHS. [*]Cultivate a culture among beneficiaries and providers for the rational use of services.

Actions planned:

  1. Expanding quality criteria and performance indicators (KPIs) and linking them to provider reimbursement.
  2. Strengthening and expanding on-site audits for providers.
  3. Purchase of services to upgrade capabilities for advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence for decision-making and policy-making purposes.
  4. Implementation of clinical decision support software for radiology referral based on European Society of Radiology guidelines.
  5. Reorganisation and staffing of the Agency.
  6. Implementation of CCOs, including CCOs for caesarean sections and for the management of type II diabetes mellitus.
  7. Expansion of rehabilitation services for respiratory diseases.
  8. Planning of larger scale information campaigns to foster a culture among beneficiaries and providers on responsible use of GHS services and on their rights and obligations.
  9. Preparation of a special website entitled "Patient's Guide" in cooperation with the OSAA, which includes specific information on all GHS services and how to access them.

The objectives set during the fifth year of operation of the GHS confirm the values of social solidarity, justice and universality on which the General Health System is based, with a long-standing mission to serve citizens without interruption. The highest priority of the Health Insurance Organisation is to keep the GHS strong, enhancing its financial viability, offering lifelong equitable and unhindered access to upgraded and quality health care services. Because the GHS is an achievement of all of us and we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve it for ourselves, our children and future generations.

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