The Secretary of Health, in consultation with the professionals concerned, shall establish the criteria and standards for the hiring and remuneration of health professionals who are interested in rendering services to the public sector. Furthermore, it shall set the pay mechanisms, which may be any of the following:
(1) Payment for services, fees per hour, session or flat rate, for each preventive, diagnostic or treatment procedure, to be negotiated by the Administration and the interested parties.
(2) Salary. — The salary shall consist of a basic salary by category, which shall tend to insure the economic and social stability of the health-service professional and his family, and an individual incentive figured on the basis of the relative value of the following factors:
(a) Professional education, including continuous education and supervised practice.
(b) Professional experience in the category, including the validation of professional experience in related categories.
(c) Level and scope of professional responsibility.
(d) Evaluation by his professional peers on the basis of the criteria established by the corresponding professional regulation and evaluation organization.
(e) Certification of specialty.
(f) Recommendations of other health professionals and representatives of the public interest.
(g) Seniority in service.
(h) Outstanding benefits which the area derives from the professional’s practice in pursuit of its objectives.
(i) Recruiting and retaining factors, such as geographical location, living conditions, opportunities of professional improvement, facilities for professional practice and other factors deemed to be important.
(3) Capitation. — The remuneration shall be determined on the basis of the number of persons that an individual health-service professional (or group in the case of group practice) accepts in his practice, to provide them with the services stipulated in his contract with the Administration. The Secretary shall determine, after due consultation with the professional and regulation evaluation organization:
(a) The minimum, the optimum and the maximum number of persons that each professional (or group in the case of group practice) may accept in his practice. The remuneration scale shall favor those who accept the optimum number and/or practice in groups.
(b) The frequency and duration of the registration periods in a practice, including transfers.
(c) The proper standards to regulate the supply and demand of the services rendered on the basis of capitation, so that they may help to insure the economic and social stability of the health-service professional and his family.
(4) Any combination of these or other mechanisms of remuneration.
History —June 23, 1976, No. 11, p. 672, added as § 14 on June 29, 1977, No. 124, p. 338, § 11; July 11, 1978, No. 32, p. 459, § 1.