Health Institutions Authorized to Use Social Media and Public Databases to Verify Medical Leave Compliance

Original article: Isapres y COMPIN podrán usar redes sociales para acreditar incumplimiento de reposo en licencias médicas

The Isapres and the Commission on Preventive Medicine and Disability (COMPIN) are now permitted to request data from the Internal Revenue Service (SII), the Police Investigations Department (PDI), and even utilize social media posts to validate whether individuals are adhering to medical leave requirements.

This directive comes from the Superintendence of Social Security (Suseso), which updated several regulations concerning the proper use of medical licenses after a scandal revealed by the Comptroller General of the Republic. It was disclosed that over 25,000 public employees traveled abroad while supposedly on medical leave.

The agency released Circular N°3890, which modifies the Compendium of Regulations on Medical Leaves and Disability Subsidies. It states that “alternatively, COMPIN and Isapres may verify non-compliance with medical leave through other information sources they have access to, such as databases or internal records, as well as administrative information from public sector entities, such as records from the Police Investigations Department, the Internal Revenue Service, or other accessible databases that indicate non-compliance during the granted medical leave period.”

Suseso emphasized that among the freely accessible public information sources are social media posts and noted that the evidence “must reliably demonstrate the situation of non-compliance with medical leave, ensuring certainty that the reported incident indeed occurred during the leave period specified in the medical license.”

According to the update, for verifying compliance via home visits, “the information recorded in the respective home visit report or, if applicable, in the medical document detailing the visit (for Fonasa affiliates), must indicate the date and time of the visit, the identification of the interviewed individuals, and specifically outline the observed facts.”

Regarding licenses granted for psychiatric conditions, Suseso also determined that “leaving the residence does not constitute non-compliance, as long as it occurs within the national territory.”

The circular will come into effect following its official publication on the Superintendence’s website and has already been communicated to all regional COMPIN offices, Isapres, and the National Health Fund (Fonasa).