The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Medical laboratories yesterday expressed surprise that the National Health Insurance (NHI) Secretariat had launched registration for the sector, disclosing that the payment structure being offered was unsustainable.

Members of the Bahamas Association of Medical Technologists (BAMT) called for further discussion over NHI’s proposed fees, suggesting that - in common with many private doctors - they could be forced to operate at a loss.

The NHI Secretariat yesterday announced the launch of laboratory services registration, encouraging laboratory facilities interested in providing services to sign-up online.

But Bonnie Culmer, a council member and former chairperson of BAMT, which is comprised of six medical laboratories, told Tribune Business that the association had only last week received feedback on reimbursement fees.

“They’re talking about registration, but we just got some feedback last week on reimbursement fees,” she said. “We still have some concerns. We haven’t signed on as yet, but it looks like they are moving ahead.

“We all intend to stick together on this. In some instances the reimbursement is fine, but in some instances it is lower than what we can do and remain sustainable. We are still  trying to negotiate on it. We still need further discussions.”

Ms Culmer added: “We are trying to stick together and see if we can get a reimbursement that is going help us remain viable. They kind of put us on the back burner and started discussing fees with us this year.

“We sent a final draft to them on some of the frequent tests that they need to look at. We have cut down on a lot, agreed to a lot, but there are some where you can only go so low to make a profit.”

    Last week, the NHI Secretariat announced that more  than 60 doctors in the private sector have registered as primary care providers for the initial $100 million phase.

The registered doctors include general practitioners, family doctors, internists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, and paediatricians.

Provider registration will continue even though the first wave of registration ended on March 31, but the Secretariat is preparing to move into the next phase of its scheme, enrollment.