Ocena wpływu dostępności do leczenia zaćmy w Polsce w świetle zmian instytucjonalnych

The aim of the article is to assess the access to health services in light of European Union regulatory changes, with particular emphasis on cataract procedures implemented in Poland during the years 2015–2017. Statistical data from the National Health Fund for the years 2015–2017 was analyzed by means of statistical description, graphical and table presentation. For parametric queues, a Student's t-test (α = 0.05) was used. For the number of submitted and paid applications under the directive, the linear trend model and the significance of the directional coefficient (α = 0.05) were used. The waiting queue for cataract surgery from the second quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter of 2016 had an upward trend. In 2017, a drop in the number of waiting patients was observed, with a simultaneous increase in the number of applications submitted under the directive. At the same time, contract growth was observed, which translated into a decrease in the number of patients waiting for surgery in Poland. Nevertheless, no decreasing trend in the number of patients treated under the cross-border directive was observed.