Prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs)

Providing you with continuous care to improve your health and wellbeing
Momentum Health Solutions

Prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs) are a set of limited conditions which medical schemes are legally required to cover in terms of its diagnosis, care, treatment and medication. This is to ensure that all medical scheme members have access to certain minimum health services, regardless of the benefit option they have selected. The aim is to provide you with continuous care to improve your health and wellbeing, and to make healthcare more affordable.

mail_outline[email protected]

call(021) 480 4460

Which conditions are covered?

According to the Medical Schemes Act, medical schemes have to cover the costs related to the diagnosis, treatment and care of the following:

  • Any emergency medical condition

    An emergency medical condition means the sudden onset of a health condition that requires immediate medical treatment and/or an operation. If the treatment is not available, the emergency could result in weakened bodily functions, serious and lasting damage to organs, limbs or other body parts, or even death.

    In an emergency, it is not always possible to diagnose the condition before admitting the patient for treatment. However, if your doctor suspects that you suffer from a condition that is covered by PMBs, your medical scheme has to approve treatment. Schemes may request that the diagnosis be confirmed with supporting evidence within a reasonable period of time.

  • A limited set of 270 medical conditions called Diagnosis and Treatment Pairs (DTPs)

    Diagnosis and Treatment Pairs (DTPs) are a limited set of ±270 medical conditions that qualify for PMB cover. A DTP links a specific diagnosis to a treatment and therefore broadly indicates how each of the approximately 270 PMB conditions should be treated. The treatment and care of PMB conditions should be based on healthcare that has proven to work best, taking affordability into consideration. Should there be a disagreement about the treatment of a specific case, the standards (also called practice and protocols) used in the public sector will be applied. Treatment and care for some of the conditions included in the DTPs may include chronic medication for HIV infection and menopausal management. In these cases, the public sector protocols will also apply to the chronic medication.

  • The 25 chronic conditions that make up the Chronic Disease List (CDL)
    • The Chronic Disease List (CDL) specifies medication and treatment for the following 25 chronic conditions:
    • Addison's disease
    • Asthma
    • Bipolar mood disorder
    • Bronchiectasis
    • Cardiac failure
    • Cardiomyopathy disease
    • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
    • Chronic renal disease
    • Coronary artery disease
    • Crohn's disease
    • Diabetes insipidus
    • Diabetes mellitus types I and II
    • Dysrhythmias
    • Epilepsy
    • Glaucoma
    • Haemophilia
    • Hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol)
    • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
    • Hypothyroidism
    • Multiple sclerosis
    • Parkinson's disease
    • Rheumatoid arthritis
    • Schizophrenia
    • Systemic lupus erythematosus
    • Ulcerative colitis

    To manage risk and ensure appropriate standards of healthcare, so-called treatment algorithms were developed for the CDL conditions. The algorithms, which have been published in the Government Gazette, can be regarded as benchmarks, or minimum standards, for treatment. This means that the treatment your medical scheme must provide may not be inferior to the algorithms. If you have one of the 25 listed chronic conditions, your medical scheme not only has to cover medication, but also doctors' consultations and tests related to your condition. Your scheme may use protocols, formularies (lists of specified medication) and Designated Service Providers (DSPs) to manage this benefit.

Apply for a PMB Treatment Plan

  • 1
    Download the PMB treatment plan application form.
  • 2
    Complete the member and patient information.
  • 3
    Ask your treating doctor to complete their information and the clinical section.
  • 4
    Return the completed form to us: Email
    OR
    Post
    Integrated Care Programme
    PO Box 15079
    Vlaberg
    8018
  • 5
    We will contact you as soon as we have processed your application.

Understanding prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs)

This information is from the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) and will assist you in understanding prescribed minimum benefits (PMBs), which medical schemes are legally required to cover.

PMB treatment plan application form

Please ask your doctor to assist you in completing this application if you have been diagnosed with a PMB chronic condition and are not on chronic medication.