The National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products is the most recently established Bulgarian state administration, created in 2013 by decree of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria. The National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products (NCPRMP) is a state authority that regulates the prices of medicinal products according to European directives and the national legislation. It defines a list of medicinal products – the Positive Drug List – provided to the citizens through the health insurance system of the Republic of Bulgaria.
For the effective implementation of its state regulatory functions, NCPRMP has developed and implemented the National Information System on Pricing and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products in the Republic of Bulgaria. The information system includes a single national portal (http://portal.ncpr.bg), which serves as an entry point for all stakeholders in the process of pricing and reimbursement of medicines – state institutions, businesses and citizens.
Specialised modules for maintenance of electronic public registers and electronic administrative services are integrated in the implemented National Information System. Furthermore, an administrative information system for document management, workflow management, modules for management and updating of the six maintained public registers, data filters on different search criteria of medicinal products are integrated into the system.
The National Information System is web-based and implements the following innovative for Bulgaria’s solutions:
- dynamic storage and provision of data on the prices and the reimbursement of medicinal products – single data entry and multiple use ‘once only principle’;
- embedded technology modules for maintenance and updating of electronic public registers of medicinal products;
- electronic administrative services provided to businesses (pharmaceutical companies);
- electronic management of administrative business processes.
The main objective of the project is to build an efficient, consumer-oriented administration through the development of electronic public registers and quality electronic administrative services for citizens and businesses. General objectives of the project include the optimisation of the national coordination and the in-house communication in the process of pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products. It should achieve greater public satisfaction through effective public awareness on the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products. Moreover, the project follows the aim of providing free access to electronic public registers of the prices of medicinal products in the Republic of Bulgaria, paid by public and private means.
Specific objectives of the project include:
- improvement of the service quality and raising public awareness through the building of electronic public registers of the pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products;
- introduction of user-friendly electronic services accessible through different electronic channels: web portal (single national portal), mobile web interface and SMS access;
- workflow optimisation for the enhancement of the administration’s work efficiency and transparency;
- introduction of a unique identification number (ID number) and uniform nomenclatures of medicinal products applicable for upgrading the existing and creating new information systems in the healthcare sector;
- application of a unique medicinal product identification number (ID number) for monitoring of the medicines delivered on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria;
- application of a unique medicinal product identification number (ID number) to control and prevent the entry of counterfeit medicines into the legal supply chain.
Strategic objectives achieved by the project on the national level are the implementation of European and national priorities for e-Health development, and participation in the integration process of information processes and systems in the pharmaceutical policy sector. The project succeeded in introducing mechanisms for providing public information on prices and reimbursement of medicinal products paid by the budget and personal means. Moreover, the project successfully managed the processes of pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products in the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as reducing the administrative burden on businesses and citizens by providing quality and easily accessible electronic services.
Some of the practical results achieved by the project are:
- cost reduction for medicines from the state budget;
- cost reduction for the companies;
- keeping up-to-date and consolidated information;
- reduced reporting time for results achieved;
- limited direct contact with the state body;
- remote access to data from an unlimited number of users – state institutions, the National Health Insurance Fund, businesses, citizens, hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, pharmacists and others;
- unique identification code introduced for each medicinal product, up to the level of the packaging;
- accelerated and complete digitisation;
- unified data nomenclatures for medicinal products maintained: pharmaceutical form, pharmaceutical group, packaging, level of payment, manufacturers, etc.