Private clinics to vote on nationwide ARS service suspension

Santo Domingo.- The National Association of Private Clinics (Andeclip) announced it will decide on Wednesday, July 8, whether to suspend medical services for members of the country’s main Health Risk Administrators (ARS), citing financial pressures affecting private healthcare providers.

Andeclip president Dr. Rafael Mena said representatives from clinics nationwide will meet in an assembly to determine which insurers would be affected and how long any service suspension would last. He described the meeting as one that will produce decisions with significant implications for the national health system.

According to Mena, private clinics have received only a 25% adjustment in ARS reimbursement rates since the Social Security law came into effect, despite rising operating costs, including payroll, utilities, social security contributions, and medical services. The potential action comes a day after the Dominican Medical Association announced a separate work stoppage to protest the alleged mistreatment of two physicians accused of malpractice by the La Vega prosecutor’s office.