Lombardy to change medical prescription validity rules

Starting September 15, the Lombardy region will implement new regulations regarding the validity periods of medical prescriptions for outpatient specialist services. The changes focus on the timeframe within which a patient must book an appointment based on the clinical priority indicated by their doctor.

The new priority categories and booking windows are: - U (Urgent): Booking must be made within 10 days. - B (Short): Booking must be made within 20 days. - D (Deferrable): Booking within 40 days for specialist visits or 70 days for diagnostic imaging. - P (Programmed): Booking within 130 days. - Laboratory exams: Validity remains at 180 days.

If a patient fails to book within these specified timeframes, the prescription becomes invalid, requiring them to return to their primary physician for a new one. While the regional government intends for these measures to reduce waiting lists, labor unions and consumer groups have expressed concerns. Cisl Milano Metropoli and Fnp Milano highlighted the difficulty of booking appointments within these strict windows due to existing long waiting lists. Codacons Lombardia warned that patients, particularly the elderly or those less digitally literate, must not be forced toward private healthcare due to a lack of institutional availability.