A NEW review of measures introduced by the State to offset some of the cost of claims against hospital consultants in private practice could have implications for the affordability of their medical indemnity cover in the future, Department of Health officials have warned.
In 2004, the Government agreed to an arrangement under which caps would be placed on the level of insurance cover which hospital consultants would need to purchase for private practice outside of the national Clinical Indemnity Scheme for public hospitals.
Under this scheme, the State assumed responsibility for claims made against consultants in private practice above a certain threshold. However, the seven-year period for which the scheme was to operate expired at the end of January.
New Department of Health briefing material, seen by The Irish Times, says the Department of Finance has approved the establishment of new caps to apply for the next year to facilitate "an extensive review" of the scheme and to bring forward proposals for future arrangements.
The briefing material warns that the review and the new proposals which are brought to Government as a result “may have implications for the affordability of medical indemnity cover for consultants in private practice”.
The State Claims Agency has been informed of four claims arising from the initial seven-year operation of the scheme which are expected to exceed the caps. “Of these, one has been fully settled with costs to the State of €0.75 million,” the documents state.
Under the new interim arrangements put in place, the caps on the level of cover for private practice which has to be purchased by consultant obstetricians, neurosurgeons and orthopaedic surgeons undertaking spinal surgery has been set at €565,000 per claim as well as an annual aggregate limit of €1,695 million. For all other specialties, the cap is €1.13 million per claim with no aggregate limit.
