A visit to the Žalgiris clinic for a simple procedure – guess how much I paid for it?

According to the patient, during the quarantine, many supported the idea that doctors, people who sacrifice for everyone, should be supported. According to her, this was normal because they were working when everyone had to sit at home and watch out for the virus, and it was doctors who were among the key people at risk.

“The further I go, the more often I see articles in which people complain that a medical service is not provided: it is impossible to contact a doctor by calling the reception number, you have to wait half an hour and it is not even worth it talk about quick help because the doctors consult by phone, without even seeing the real situation. I don’t even know if these are instructions from the government, or if this is the internal policy of each polyclinic, “he was outraged.

She herself, the woman said, had to go to her doctor’s clinic in Vilnius several times after the end of the quarantine. There were no problems there and all the doctors arrived quickly, but the problem arose when the doctors at the clinic prescribed a referral to other specialists because they could not solve the problem.

“I am currently having problems with the appearance of mental teeth because they are pushing all the other teeth. That is why you have to call the Žalgiris Clinic or the Center’s Polyclinic every day. And here we are faced with the same problem again: we have to wait about 30 minutes for the reception to answer and finally the answer after the call: “there is no schedule at the moment, so call tomorrow”. What if the pain is already going crazy? Sit, pray and wait? ”The woman regretted the situation.

Vilnius was very surprised by a preventive visit due to oral hygiene at the Žalgiris Clinic, where she came to see that the women sitting at the reception were only talking to each other.

“Could it be that nobody is calling? Find the probability. After oral hygiene, the doctor gave me a brochure with which I went to the pancreas. There I am happy to announce the news – “75 euros”. Before going to the Žalgiris clinic, I checked the prices in other places, I didn’t even see those numbers in the private dental clinics. I thought it is as it is, I will not change anything, so I went with the receipt written to the cashier to pay ”.

She said that when she asked for an invoice and reviewed a statement of services rendered, she was simply stunned.

“It turns out that the doctor used up to 3 pairs of disposable gloves, although after 20 days of hygiene they never changed them. I also saw the item “hygiene training” on the invoice. And what is that? As I understand it, this is probably your explanation to me on how to brush my teeth properly, which I heard in less than a minute.

Guess how much I paid for it? More than four euros. Was it said before that you would have to pay for it? Not! Since when do you not have to notify the customer for such paid services? According to the clinic’s website, oral hygiene costs between 1.5 and 2 euros per tooth, ”said the woman.

Vilnius explained that after summarizing all the services and tools that were really used only for hygiene and not including any training, gloves and masks, glasses for liquid, etc. In other words, the price still does not look like the one indicated on the page: 2.5 euros per tooth.

“I can pour out my anger for a long time, but will that change anything? How many people who go to clinics don’t even know what they paid for and are stunned? Be careful what you pay, because we give too much to the doctors anyway, ”he said.

Linas Zaleckas, Director of the Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Acting Director, commented that Vilnius University Žalgiris Clinic is a personal health care institution that provides all levels of outpatient dental care and specialized hospital oral, maxillofacial and maxillofacial care .

He noted that the prices of personal health care services provided by the clinic are set out in the price list of personal health care services provided in non-personal health care institutions. 11-96-2, approved by Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania No. 178 “In the price list of personal health care services provided in personal health care institutions no. Approval 11-96-2 ”.

“When providing health care services in accordance with the price list, the clinic also follows the Procedure for determining and indexing the prices of paid personal health care services and the Description of the procedure for providing and paying for personal health care services paid approved by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania in 1999. July 30 by order No. 357 “In the list of paid services of personal medical care, the procedure for setting their price and indexing them and the description of the procedure for the provision and payment of these services ”.

Likewise, it pointed out that the procedure for the list of paid personal health care services, the setting of prices and their indexing stipulates that the prices of the paid services are determined for each service provided, the costs of the service are calculated by cost items and the price of each service is determined and approved once. Published consumer price indices are indexed accordingly.

According to him, Article 8 of the Procedure for Provision and Payment of Paid Personal Health Care Services stipulates that when dental care services are provided in Lithuanian national health care institutions, insured persons (except children and people who study full-time in general education schools, full-time units of professional schools up to 24 years), and socially disadvantaged people, upon presentation of the corresponding certificate from the department of social support of the municipality in whose territory they reside) pay medicines, dental materials and others used for the provision of dental care services, specific measures, taking into account the amount of materials used, equipment and purchase prices. .

“It should be noted that during a visit, the patient can receive different services listed in the Price List, the need of which is decided by the attending physician each time, taking into account the individual health status of the patient, p. Eg. The price of oral hygiene performed for a patient may include the following services specified in the Price List: training in oral hygiene (code 50076), removal and polishing of concretions on the gum (code 50079), removal and polishing of Ultastom device concretions (50080).

L. Zaleckas stated that the price list of the services provided on the clinic’s website indicates the indicative prices of the services, because, as mentioned, the final price of the service depends on the health status of the individual patient.

“In accordance with Article 8 (3) of the Republic of Lithuania on Patient Rights and Health Compensation, the clinic will not comment on other circumstances related to the situation of a particular patient presented by you due to the confidentiality of the patient’s data. However, we note that the clinic’s assessment of this situation did not reveal any violations in terms of the scope of services provided, quantities and prices of medications, dental materials and other, unique measures used to provide dental care services.

We would like to inform you that the emergency medical care provided in the clinic in accordance with the Description of the procedure and the scope of the provision of emergency medical care approved by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania in 2004 April 8 by order no. V-208 “On the approval of the description of the procedure and scope of the provision of emergency medical assistance”. Referral to a clinic is not required for emergency medical care. In the Emergency Service of the Clinic, patients are admitted 24 hours a day, with no days off for emergency medical attention ”.

The manager emphasized that in urgent cases, patients should go to local polyclinics for primary dental care (swelling, pain, abscesses), except during their non-working hours (20.00 – 8.00), rest and holidays.

“If said patient cannot receive the necessary assistance from specialists at the local polyclinic, he must be referred for an urgent consultation with an oral surgeon and said patient can urgently go to the clinic to an on-call doctor (oral surgeon). Currently, the clinic provides about 70 percent. volumes of pre-quarantine services “.