– It is extremely important to me that more people see that Evidia as a company pours in money every day and plays a cynical game with the patients. That’s what Bjørn-Eirik Heiberg says. Bjørn-Eirik Heiberg believes that Evidia does not care enough about the patients. Photo: Privat When he arrived at Evidia’s doctor’s office in Bodø on Thursday evening, he was told that a mistake had been made. He really wasn’t supposed to have an appointment at all. This has caused Heiberg to go hard against the private doctor’s office. Thinks the doctor’s office should have discovered the error In advance of the doctor’s appointment, Heiberg received several reminders and even changed the time, he says. Bjørn-Eirik Heiberg received several confirmations from the doctor’s office. Just before the doctor’s appointment, he received a message that he had to fill in a form relating to underlying illnesses. Photo: Screenshot Heiberg believes that the doctor’s office should have discovered this before he arrived, ten minutes before the appointment. – I have wasted my free time on this. I went there and got a cold shoulder back. Sending a counterclaim On Evidia’s website it says: “If you do not show up at the agreed time, you must pay a fee. For public hours, this fee is NOK 1,125, for private hours it is the full price for each examination.” Heiberg does not understand why they are allowed to ask for this fee, while the patient just has to accept that the appointment is cancelled. Therefore, Heiberg has sent a counterclaim to Evidia of NOK 1,500. – Why should we as customers accept being met in this way, when Evidia can take money if the patient cannot meet for various reasons. – It’s not about the money Heiberg considers himself to be relatively resourceful. That is why he wants to come forward and shed light on the problem. There are probably many people who end up in the same situation, but who just accept what happens, he believes. That is why it is important for him to speak out about it. – I could have come from far away by plane or taxi and spent a lot of money on it. After the incident, Heiberg is left with the feeling that Evidia does not care about the patients, which is why this is so important to him. – It’s not about the money, it’s about the principle. He believes the procedure is far below what can be expected from a serious doctor’s office. Should be compensated According to senior legal adviser at the Consumer Council, Thomas Iversen, you have the right to a new appointment as soon as possible. Thomas Iversen, senior legal advisor at the Consumer Council, believes that consumers should be compensated for any travel expenses such as transport, tolls and the like. Photo: Halvor Pritzlaff Nerve / Forbru – It is important that the doctor’s office and the patient have a good dialogue, so that the patients feel well looked after, he says. If the cancellation is not due to anything extraordinary, the consumer should, according to Iversen, be compensated for reasonable financial losses he has suffered. – Basically, lost earnings will not be part of the pot that is covered. Unfair circle Jannicke Bruvik in the Patient and User Ombudsman has not heard of claims for compensation for lost free time from patients in the past. – If we are to start demanding money from each other for inconvenience and delays, we enter a circle that becomes awkward, although I certainly understand that it is difficult for the patient. – If a patient had come to us with such a problem, he would probably be advised to discuss the matter with the place in question, says Jannicke Bruvik in the Patient and User Ombudsman. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news She believes that the population both can and should have faith that healthcare personnel are essentially doing the best they can, but that things sometimes do not go as planned. – But is it okay for doctors’ offices to demand money from patients who cannot show up for appointments? – Well, it’s a difficult balancing act. The patient and user ombudsman estimates that over 200,000 doctor’s hours in hospitals are not used, because the patient does not come or reports late. – We all bear the costs of non-attendance in the form of tax money and extended health care queues. The no-show fee has been introduced as an attempt to reduce the number of hours where people do not show up. According to the law, the patient is not entitled to compensation in the event of delays or missed appointments. Such a change would then be a political decision, according to Bruvik. Evidia: – We cannot comment Answer to E-mail from Evidia Evidia keeps all patient information confidential, and we cannot comment on matters affecting patients. At Evidia, we score very high on satisfaction measurements among patients, but as with everyone, errors can occur in our systems. In addition to this, we consider an incident such as the one you describe as a matter between the patient and Evidia, and which will be correctly handled in our quality and deviation systems. In an email to Heiberg that news has seen, Evidia writes that they apologize for the incident and the trouble it has caused. In addition, they will cover any travel expenses against a receipt. Heiberg says he will take the case further.
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