SA Medical Association fights to have price-fixing complaints dismissed
Sama says the Council for Medical Schemes has not given sufficient evidence, and the medical association still does not know what case it is being asked to answer
The Competition Commission has heard an application of dismissal brought by the South African Medical Association (Sama), to have the two price-fixing complaint referrals of the Council of Medical Schemes (CMS) dismissed, almost five years after the complaints were first lodged. The outcome of the case may affect how medical schemes reimburse members. Sama, the largest doctor organisation in SA, brought the application to have the case thrown out on the grounds that the CMS had still not provided sufficient evidence against Sama, and it still did not know what case it was required to answer in respect of each complaint referral. The CMS initially lodged a complaint on May 21 2012 with the Competition Commission alleging that Sama had engaged in price fixing relating to specialist medical services. The CMS said Sama had adopted billing guidelines that had been approved by the South African Paediatric Association and the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons SA, who were in a horizontal ...
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