Aspectos médico-legales del control de la indicación de las prestaciones sanitarias: la prestación del transporte sanitario

Abstract

Experts agree that health expenses increase excessively for structural reasons such as aging of population, the increasing cost of treatment and patients' growing demands. The current situation then requires the introduction of new policies directed toward establishing a more efficient use of resources. This is all set in a context of economical crisis. The use of patient transport service in particular is a health benefit which has experienced an enormous increase year after year. This is due to multiple factors, the most important is the widespread idea that patient transportation should be used by all people that the health system deems necessary without any kind of discrimination and carry it out according to the patient's convenience. This study, which analyzes real patient transportation petitions, considers the need to control current indications of health benefits, using patient transportation as an example. The inadequate indication of this service is made clear, and the normatives for an efficient use of resources and assistance should be considered, within bioethics limits set out in the Distributive Justice Principle.