In June, we reported that the county hospital in Bolesławiec had been classified as a level-I facility. The director of the ZOZ, Adam Zdaniuk, nevertheless announced that the hospital would fight for level-II reference status. The facility submitted an appeal to the Lower Silesian NFZ. The office in our voivodeship received the most appeals in the country—22 in total. The NFZ rejected 18 of them in full, including our hospital’s appeal.
Joanna Mierzwińska, spokesperson for the Lower Silesian branch of the National Health Fund, explains that the Bolesławiec hospital does not meet the requirements for a level-II facility. “We could not uphold this appeal,” she explains. “The ZOZ was missing one specialist department. The regulations precisely specify the requirements that must be met to be classified as a level-II reference hospital.”
Does the fact that the Bolesławiec ZOZ will still be classified as a level-I facility mean that it will receive less money from the Fund? No. As Adam Zdaniuk told us at the end of June, the NFZ included the four departments that go beyond level I. The status quo has been maintained. The facility has a guaranteed contract with the Fund for four years.
The Bolesławiec ZOZ may still appeal the decision of the Lower Silesian NFZ to the president of the Fund. It is not yet known whether it will do so. We were unable to contact the hospital director today.