Bermuda's doctors and health insurers have agreed a new fee schedule which could end the long row which has seen some patients being billed directly for operations.

Late last month they forwarded the figures to the Minister of Health for approval. Health Insurance Association of Bermuda (HIAB) President Gerald Simons said they had not heard back officially from Health Minister Nelson Bascome, who is now off the island.

He said: "I know he wants to move ahead."

And he said the Minister would soon have powers to decide fee schedules with a new bill before the Senate.

The new schedule will ensure that hospital procedures are fully covered under HIAB patients' insurance policies.

However insurers are denying doctors claims they have also agreed to implement the full Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding which will allow doctors to perform up to 11,000 procedures under patients' medical insurance coverage.

The insurers are denying that doctor office procedures are covered by the new deal.

As a result of the agreement, the majority of the doctors will claim insurance premiums on a patient's behalf.

Mr. Simons said: "Health insurance is intact. With a little bit of luck health insurance will become a non-news situation.

"Recent coverage of health insurance has been unprecedented in the last 30 years. The system has worked with the co-operation of reasonable doctors and reasonable health insurance companies. Now the matter is in the hands of the minister."

He said during the dispute which erupted in June most claims had been paid but reimbursing patients who had not been reimbursed might be difficult in some cases.

New fees will be re-negotiated for implementation on April 1st, 2003.

Jonathan Murray, M.D., President of the Bermuda Medical Society, said: "The use of the full CPT code book is a very positive turning point for Bermuda's healthcare system.

"This new coding system will enable doctors to perform a large range of modern procedures using new technology with the reassurance that the operations are fully covered under patients' medical insurance policies.

"We are also very pleased to have come to an agreement with the HIAB over fees so that we can now move forward.

Dr. Murray added: "Now that we have come to an agreement with the HIAB, we plan to establish a Policy and Practice Committee comprising a cross-section of physicians and representatives of the insurance companies so that we can discuss how best to improve the claims and fee agreement process so that we can prevent this from happening again.

"In addition, we would like to thank the Ministries of Finance and Health for working so hard to bring both sides together and helping us come to an agreement. In the future the doctors and insurance companies plan to come to an agreement early in the process and pass our suggested fees to the Minister for his perusal."