TOTBİD Dergisi

TOTBİD Dergisi

2020, Cilt 19, Sayı, 1     (Sayfalar: 139-145)

Legal procedures and quality problems for implant management in orthopedics and traumatology

Murat Altay 1, Mustafa Caner Okkaoğlu 1

1 Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Keçiören Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Ankara

DOI: 10.14292/totbid.dergisi.2020.19
Görüntüleme: 555
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İndirme : 1136

Medical implants take an important place in orthopaedic surgeries. An orthopaedic physician has to follow latest technology while choosing the most suitable implant for his/her patient. However, in this preference, the legal procedures in our country, the limitations of the insurance institutions, and the patient-related factors must also be taken into account. In this study, it is aimed to emphasize the legal procedures that should be taken into consideration with Health Application Communiqué (SUT) when using the most appropriate medical implants by an orthopedic physician specifically working in a public hospital. One of the most important factors determining the use of medical implants in our country is the Social Security Institution`s (SGK) reimbursement restrictions and pricing policies. The SUT, which was first published in 2010 and then updated according to the needs, sets the limits of the medical devices that orthopedists working in public hospitals can use for reimbursement. The use of certain products in the SUT lists is subject to special conditions. For this reason, the physician should always follow the current SUT when selecting medical implants. Inadequate pricing in spite of the increasing firm expenses (raw material, exchange rate, cost, employment, insurance etc.), and giving one price to the same SUT code without any distinction of quality, causes especially the firms that occupy an important place in the world market, which are trying to offer quality products, to withdraw from the country market. This leads to a decrease in the quality of the implants used, a decrease in the success of the operations performed, and an increase in the revision rates day by day. In this regard, especially domestic productions should be supported, their quality should be improved, research and development units should be developed. It is important that all implants or devices are passed through inspection and quality control systems. The physician has to take into account the conditions of the country, the expectations and life standards of the patient, paying attention to the legal procedures (SUT provisions) and the use of the highest quality and the most cost-effective one while choosing the appropriate implant.

Anahtar Kelimeler : implants in orthopaedics and traumatology; legal procedures; cost-effectiveness; quality