Panel SA: Suppliers of products for hospitals and operators register almost R$ 1.5 billion of delay

Abraidi (Brazilian Association of Importers and Distributors of Health Products) discloses this week its new annual survey on the resources contingencyed by hospitals and health plans to suppliers in the sector.

This is an issue that the entity has complained about for years and says that it is getting worse in the face of mergers and acquisitions of supplementary health companies, which weaken small and medium-sized providers.

The value exceeded R$ 1.4 billion, says Abraidi.

The biggest problem, according to the association, is the withholding of billing, when the paying source, which can be the health plan or the hospital, after performing a previously authorized surgery, does not allow billing of the products consumed, that is, defer payment.

The recorded contingent value exceeds BRL 720 million, according to the study, with BRL 347 million for private hospitals, BRL 339 million for health plans and around BRL 37 million for public hospitals.

Abraidi calculates that the amount withheld by hospitals has grown by 205% since the first survey, five years ago, and that the average time between performing the surgery and issuing the invoice reaches 121 days.

The survey also points to an increase in unjustified disallowances, when the operator or hospital refuses to pay for some products, materials or equipment used in surgery previously authorized by them, a practice that affects almost 80% of the associates and exceeds R$ 116 million, according to Abraidi, which also reports delinquency of R$ 610 million.

Joana Wedge with Andressa Motter and Paulo Ricardo Martins