2023-10-06 05:03:18
In the Valenciennes region (North), residents who had undergone x-rays received a letter from the CPAM urging them to avoid “useless” examinations. The CPAM denies any “control operation” and claims to want to raise awareness of the issue of ionizing rays.
A letter which surprised more than one and which caused controversy. In the Valenciennes region, several residents who recently had radiological examinations received a letter from Health Insurance encouraging them to limit their use of medical imaging.
“We remind you that My Health Space facilitates your follow-up. You can make your health history available to healthcare professionals and thus avoid unnecessary or redundant examinations”, we can read on this personalized document, which includes reimbursement for the various procedures carried out by the patient.
Signed by the director of the CPAM of Hainaut, the letter explains that the fund is carrying out “support action relating to the relevance of the use of imaging procedures in order to limit the exposure of patients to ionizing radiation”.
A letter that goes badly
For many patients, this letter was experienced as a questioning of the relevance of their medical procedures. An unbearable situation for Arnaud Bavay, mayor of the town of Hordain, located in a medical desert.
“If it is for the monitoring of the patient, it is a doctor who must do it, and not an administrative executive,” protests the councilor at the microphone of BFM Grand Lille; following several of his constituents, some of whom were very elderly, came to complain regarding these letters.
On the professional side, the approach also raises eyebrows. Jean-Philippe Masson, president of the National Federation of Radiologists, says he is “very surprised”.
“Patient files are covered by medical confidentiality. It is not normal to target patients like that,” reacts the doctor to BFMTV.com.
According to him, prevention must be done at the level of health professionals who issue radio prescriptions.
Not “a control operation”, according to the CPAM
At the microphone of BFM Grand Lille, the director of the CPAM of Hainaut, Ghislaine Liekens, defends herself from any “control operation”. “It is above all a matter of raising awareness of the consequences of radiological procedures on health due to ionizing rays,” she explains.
The director explains having sent this letter to some 3,600 policyholders who had carried out two imaging examinations within 15 days. Only orthopedic examinations (x-rays of the wrist, shoulder, foot, etc.) were concerned, she specifies.
The local head of the CPAM warns of cases of duplicate X-rays, “when the doctor is not aware that an examination has already been carried out” or “when he reacts to pressure from a patient”. She also specifies having sent an awareness letter to around sixty radiologists.
At the national level, the CPAM indicates to BFMTV.com that it is not aware of the sending of such letters to other regions of France. Health insurance specifies that each fund is free to carry out its own prevention and public health initiatives.
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