The control of the National Health Insurance Fund through the eyes of general practitioners

Abstract

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is the only institution in the Republic of Bulgaria that performs control of public health resources disbursement. As the main figure in primary health care (PHC), the general practitioner (GP) is directly affected by the control of NHIF. The aim of this research is to study the opinion of GPs about the control performed by the NHIF and its impact on the work of PHC practices. Material and Methods 311 GPs from Sofia and the rest of the country who have a contract with NHIF are surveyed between February and August 2020. An anonymous questionnaire was used. Results Only half of the surveyed GPs have a positive attitude to the control by the NHIF. The negative attitude is dominant due to a number of reasons presented in detail in the paper. Conclusion The results of the conducted survey impose the need to act towards optimizing the control process in PHC in order to raise the authority of the NHIF.