EHIC Incentive Scheme
In November 2014 GPC was informed that the Department of Health’s NHS Visitor and Migrant Cost Recovery Programme Team had taken the decision to deprioritise extending and amending charging in primary care in order to focus on delivering existing commitments in Phases 1-3 of the Programme (improving the current system of identification of, and cost recovery from chargeable patients within secondary care, better identification of chargeable patients through changes to existing identity verification and registration systems and processes in primary and secondary care and implementation of the health surcharge.)
It should be noted that the following FAQsapply only to secondary care providers. For the time being, the Department of Health is only able to register secondary care providers on the online portal so this EHIC incentive scheme will apply to trusts only. However, they are looking at how primary care providers (including general practitioners) could report EEA patient activity so as to help boost the UK’s recovery of costs owed when treating EEA patients.
We understand that two consultations will be launched in the Spring of 2015 to look further at extensions to charging. There are plans to start an EHIC pilot in primary care to encourage the collection of EHICs, increase identification of chargeable patients and increase the engagement of GPs with the cost-recovery programme generally. GPC will be involved with a view to starting the pilot as early as possible.
