Department vows to get €8m ‘ghost patient’ payout back from GPs

GENERAL Practitioners were paid an average of €3,400 for treating patients that were either dead or had moved away.

And the Department of Health has vowed to get over €8 million back from family doctors for having the so-called “ghost patients” on their books.

The department is being equally tight in its dealing with people who were overcharged under the drugs payment scheme.

By placing the burden of proof on claimants, it seems highly unlikely that the full €18 million shortfall will be claimed back by people.

The Dáil Public Accounts Committee heard yesterday that the system that was set up to pay back patients who were overcharged only received 13,000 applications to date from a possible 175,000.

Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell said the underpayment is occurring because those who were overcharged must provide proof before getting a refund.

Public notices were issued in June inviting applications by September, but this deadline was extended to the end of October. The final cost will not be known until all the applications are submitted.

In relation to the “ghost patients,” almost 8.3m was paid to GPs for the treatment of more than 28,000 patients who were dead or had moved away, yet were still on the doctors’ books.

The anomaly was discovered when medical eligibility for everyone over 70 was allowed in the Budget two years ago.

Department of Health secretary general Michael Kelly said the full extent of the overpayments was identified after a substantial review was conducted.

Legal advice received by the department indicates it is entitled to get the money back from the GPs.

Ahead of a meeting with officials from the Irish Medical Organisation to discuss the matter next week, Mr Kelly admitted that the recovery is likely to be challenged in the courts, and he said he was disappointed the doctors’ group was not more co-operative.

The IMO is claiming that they are owed money for work in other areas, so will not be paying back the cash.

“We are committed to the recovery of the excess payment. The IMO will resist any attempt at recoupment. It would be remiss of me to enter this and not to see the jumps ahead,” he said.

From now on, the GMS payments board will manage a single database meaning the errors should not occur again.

According to PAC chairman John Perry, the medical cards’ overpayment was a shambles and showed huge incompetence in the entire system.

The affair meant that GPs were being paid €300 per “ghost patient,” so the money had to be paid back, he said.