22.02.2024

WE GET A FASTER TEMC DECISIONS

The term for the pronouncement of the Territorial Expert Medical Committees (TEMC) and the National Expert Medical Committee (NEMC) in the assessment of permanently reduced working capacity/type and degree of disability is shortened. This is done with changes to the Regulations on the structure and organization of work of the medical examination bodies and of the regional medical examination files, adopted by the government.

The uniform distribution of certification procedures in the country is also foreseen, while at the same time consideration by TEMC will take place on a random basis. According to the Council of Ministers, this will lead to transparency, impartiality and speed in the issuance of TEMC decisions.

The obligation of TEMCs to pronounce only on the basis of the medical documentation, including the information available from the health records in the electronic health files of the individuals, will condition a full and objective assessment, reducing the requirement of TEMCs to provide additional documents.

Setting a deadline for communicating expert decisions to interested parties, informing individuals of the dates on which their documents will be considered, engaging in personal responsibility for compliance with the guidelines, etc., are organizational measures that will improve coordination between the parties involved in the medical examination process.

In the changes to the Rules for the establishment and organization of work of the medical examination bodies, which was uploaded for public discussion a year ago, it was written that a double increase in the number of the currently operating 70 TEMCs in the country is foreseen. The main goal is for the territorial expert medical commissions to be able to pronounce within the statutory three-month period, which is currently not happening on a large scale.

There is now a significant delay in the medical examination of permanently reduced work capacity, type and degree of disability, and this delay is different for different commissions. 29 TEMCs, which is 41 percent of all, are pronounced within the statutory three-month period, 17 commissions are pronounced between 4 and 6 months, and 15 after one year. The longest period of pronouncement reaches more than 4 years. The main reason is poor staffing.

The project provided for commissions to be opened in all state and municipal multi-specialty hospitals and complex oncology centers, and in those of them that are university hospitals or commercial companies with mixed state and municipal participation in the capital, at least two commissions should be created.

Mandatory participation in the composition of committees of the heads of structures in the respective medical institution was introduced for the staffing of TEMC.

It was also planned to create conditions for the use of the complete information from the records in the electronic health files of the people by the medical examination bodies. The goal is to reduce the number of cases in which TEMC requires additional research and consultations during the expertise procedures.