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Orthoptists Services: A Review of Benefits Paid By Medical Schemes, South Africa

Background: Orthoptists are specialists in diagnosing and treating ocular movement disorders and problems related to how the eyes work together, known as binocular vision. There is currently about 1 100 orthoptist registered and working in the UK. The comparative figure to South Africa is much lower at only nine registered orthoptists. Study design and objectives: This was a cross-sectional research study of claims paid for Orthoptists services by medical schemes. The study's primary objectives were to assess benefits paid for Orthoptists services, the level of co-payment subjected to members of medical schemes, and the funding model employed by medical schemes. The study entailed secondary data collected from the Council for Medical Schemes Annual Statutory returns. Results: The total number of beneficiaries with at least one orthoptist visit was 204, and the total number of visits paid by schemes was 256. This translates to the average number of one visit per beneficiary per annum. Each visit amounted to an average expenditure of R540. These services attracted a co-payment to the rand amount of R148 per visit. Nearly half of these benefits were paid from the person's medical savings account, accounting for 48% of benefits. Conclusion and recommendations: Coupled with evidence that there are currently no training schools for orthoptists and a low revenue base, this study shows that the demand for the services is lower than in previous years. The study recommends a review of the current model to a more multidisciplinary team across all specialties, particularly seeing that the first world countries still utilise the services of orthoptists in various health sectors, including child development and mainstream schools.