EOPYY to Review Prescription Practices Going Back to 2014, Says Governor

The checks will focus on identifying excessive or unwarranted prescriptions and will be expanded to include test prescriptions.

This initiative follows the Health Ministry’s recent review, which uncovered 100 doctors prescribing between 250 and 422 different medications per patient, resulting in millions of euros in losses for EOPYY. The system, managed by social insurance platform IDIKA, flagged at least 100 suspicious cases of over-prescription, leading to significant concerns about fraud.

The inspections aim to recover lost funds, and penalties have already been imposed. Pharmacists involved in executing excessive prescriptions face a ban of 6 to 12 months, and five doctors have been stripped of their prescription-writing privileges. Over €2.5 million in fines have been issued, and new cases are under investigation.

EOPYY is also collaborating with the Finance Police to further investigate fraudulent cases. Karpodini stressed the organization’s commitment to fighting corruption and protecting patients.

In addition to medication prescriptions, EOPYY will review diagnostic tests. Through the use of digital systems, the organization will verify whether prescribed tests were actually performed, using data from diagnostic centres and laboratories.

EOPYY’s ongoing efforts include real-time monitoring of prescription writing in collaboration with IDIKA and advanced data processing through a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Karpodini reassured patients that their medical records will be updated to prevent any issues arising from fraudulent prescriptions or incorrect diagnoses.

Source: GCT–Charlie Komalenko