Polish Clinics Face Payment Penalties Over E-Registration Changes

Polish healthcare providers offering specialized services are facing significant changes and potential financial penalties due to new e-registration requirements. As of June 1, facilities providing cardiology, mammography, and HPV HR tests must adhere to a centralized online registration system, with non-compliance risking payment suspensions from the National Health Fund (NFZ).

The deadline for these facilities to submit their appointment schedules and available slots to the central e-registration system was May 31. This mandate, stemming from a September 2025 amendment to the public healthcare funding law, aims to streamline patient access to specialist appointments. Facilities were required to upload all scheduled first-time and follow-up appointments for the specified services and make available at least three months of future slots. Additionally, they needed to ensure technical integration with the e-registration system.

According to Rzeczpospolita, facilities that failed to meet the May 31 deadline could see their NFZ payments halted from June 1. The NFZ can withhold these payments for a maximum of three months, with the possibility of resuming them once the facility rectifies the omissions. A more stringent rule takes effect July 1, stipulating that the NFZ will only finance services covered by the central e-registration if they are booked through this system.

Further expansions of the central e-registration system are planned, with eight additional services to be included starting August 1. This will allow patients to book initial appointments with specialists such as angiologists, infectious disease doctors, endocrinologists, and hepatologists through the unified online platform. The phased rollout aims to improve accessibility and efficiency in the Polish healthcare system.