Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) is responsible for providing reimbursement services to primary care contractors for the provision of health services to members of the public in their own community, including GPs contracted to provide services to eligible persons under the General Medical Services Scheme. As previously outlined to the Deputy, a number of channels exist through which the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) receives notice of the death of a medical card or GP visit card holder. These include:

- Notification through the Death Event Publication Service (DEPS) via a monthly file;

- Notification through the local Community Health Offices;

- Notification through the National Medical Card Unit contact centre, where clients’ families provide information;

- Notification via letters/returned cards from clients' families;

- Notification from Nursing Homes;

- Notification from GPs.

Payments to GPs in respect of services provided to persons under the GMS scheme are terminated once the notification of a person’s death is recorded. In circumstances where amounts have been paid to GPs for periods after the last day of the month in which a person has died, the PCRS makes appropriate adjustments to the monthly capitation payment made to GPs to balance any such overpayments.

It should be noted that the PCRS/National Medical Card Unit business processes are underpinned by internal control procedures, which are subject to review by the HSE Internal Audit Division. Additionally, reviews of various business processes within the PCRS/National Medical Card Unit are conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General on an annual basis.

Should the Deputy be aware of a specific instance where an overpayment has occurred in relation to a deceased patient which she believes should be investigated, she would be welcome to submit such information to the Department of Health or directly to the PCRS.