Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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2188.To ask the Minister for Health if he will review the current process in place for reimbursement of blood test costs for medical card holders; if he will consider an information campaign via the medical card office informing medical card holders of this entitlement; if he will consider simplifying the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31813/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the current GMS contract, GPs are required to provide eligible patients with ''all proper and necessary treatment of a kind usually undertaken by a general practitioner and not requiring special skill or experience of a degree or kind which general practitioners cannot reasonably be expected to possess". Persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card are not subject to any co-payments or other charges in respect of such services including GP consultations.

Clinical determinations as to whether a blood test should be taken to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition are made by the GP concerned. There is no provision under the GMS GP contract for persons who hold a medical card or a GP visit card to be charged for clinically necessary blood tests.

In addition, blood tests undertaken in the context of the GP Chronic Disease Management programme are covered by the fees paid to GPs by the HSE for this care.

Where a patient who holds a medical card or GP visit card believes he or she has been incorrectly charged for routine phlebotomy services (i.e. a blood test to either assist in the diagnosis of illness or the treatment of a condition) by his or her GP, or has been charged for a blood test provided under the Chronic Disease Management programme, then that patient should report the matter to their HSE Local Health Office. The local management, upon being notified of potential inappropriate charging of a GMS patient, shall contact the GP concerned and carry out an investigation into the complaint and will, where appropriate, arrange for a refund of charges incorrectly applied by that GP.

An information campaign in regard to this issue or the reimbursement process outlined is not under consideration at this time. The issue of GPs charging GMS patients for phlebotomy services (blood tests) is complex given the numerous reasons and circumstances under which blood tests are taken.

Fees charged by GPs outside the terms of the GMS contracts are a matter of private contract between the clinicians and their patients. The HSE does not have any role in relation to such fees.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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2189.To ask the Minister for Health further to HSE Circular 011/14, the measures the HSE is taking to ensure the circular is being honoured by GPs when it comes to not charging medical card holder patients for routine phlebotomy services, given that the circular outlines the practice of charging said patients with limited resources as “a serious matter”; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31814/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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2190.To ask the Minister for Health further to HSE Circular 011/14, issued by the primary care reimbursement service, the number of investigations the HSE has carried out on the back of reports of medical card patients being charged for routine phlebotomy services; the consequences of said investigation; the measures the HSE is taking to ensure this practice is stamped out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31815/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.