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COVID-19 and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Sector in Poland, Part 2: Reimbursement and Organisation of the Healthcare System

Reimbursement and Organisation of the Healthcare System

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The DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland” is based on the feedback from a survey conducted among DLA Piper’s clients and business contacts from the pharmaceutical and medical sector, including producers of medicines, food supplements and medical devices, as well as healthcare service providers. It is the first report that brings together the views of key players in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, describing how they see the current state of affairs on the Polish market and possible future trends, along with their recommendations as to what actions they would like to see taken in the sector. The key findings are summarised in our four briefings, the second of which concentrates on the impact of the pandemic on reimbursement and on the organisation of the healthcare system.

According to professionals in the pharmaceutical and medical sector, the impact of the pandemic on reimbursement does not seem to be as strong as in other areas of the Polish healthcare sector. They assessed the impact on innovative reimbursement mechanisms, the reimbursement budget and funding for so-called comorbidities (multiple diseases simultaneously present in one person). Respondents also answered questions about the anticipated impact on the organisation of the healthcare sector, specifically in terms of centralisation of the management of medical facilities and central procurement.

Reimbursement

No greater emphasis on developing innovative reimbursement mechanisms

According to respondents, the pandemic has not contributed to the development of innovative reimbursement mechanisms. Only a small percentage of respondents (less than 15%) indicated that it has.

One in two respondents believe that there has been no increased emphasis on the development of such innovative mechanisms during the pandemic.

The reimbursement budget

In terms of the anticipated impact of the pandemic on increasing the reimbursement budget, there was a clear and equal division between respondents. One third believe it will increase, one third anticipate a decrease, and one third believe there will be no change.

It is interesting to note that this was the only question in the survey which produced such a result – in all the others respondents tended to indicate a clear direction of anticipated change.

Greater focus on comorbidities

The survey findings also show that funding for comorbidities is expected to grow – half of the respondents believe so, whereas one quarter think otherwise.

Respondents therefore anticipate a significant change in the direction of funding for the treatment of diseases in Poland, with a particular focus on comorbidities, which are commonly mentioned in the context of the risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Organisation of the healthcare system

Centralisation of medical facilities management

The vast majority (over two-thirds) of respondents believe that the pandemic will result in the increased centralisation of medical facilities management in Poland. Less than 10% think the opposite.

The centralisation of the management of medical facilities has been widely discussed in the context of the effective functioning of the healthcare system, especially during the second and third waves of the pandemic. The shift predicted by the respondents may lead to a significant modification of the healthcare system in Poland.

Possible implementation of centralised procurement

Moreover, over half of the respondents believe that centralised purchasing procedures for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment will be introduced in Poland as a result of the pandemic, with only one in five disagreeing.

It is worth mentioning that the implementation of centralised procurement has been discussed for a number of years. Respondents believe that the pandemic will strengthen centralisation in this area.

Based on the DLA Piper report “The COVID-19 pandemic and the pharmaceutical and medical sector in Poland”. Here you can find the first briefing, which summarises the key findings.

By Andrzej Balicki, Partner, and Jolanta Dabrowicz, Senior Associate, DLA Piper

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