Health · Healthcare & Policy · 2 hrs ago
German doctors warn of longer waits for appointments from next year
People with statutory health insurance in Germany may wait longer for doctor appointments from next year, according to Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Gassen says government funding cuts have removed more than 50 million outpatient appointments.
A recently approved reform also requires doctors to report a set number of available appointments to a booking service.
Until now, doctors could decide how many free appointments to report, but the required number will be set by regional doctors’ associations and health insurers.
Gassen argues that reported appointments could be taken away from patients who would otherwise book directly with their practice, making appointment shortages worse.
He says more funding for outpatient care is needed to provide more appointments.
Germany’s National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) warns that publicly insured patients will face longer waits for doctor appointments from next year.
KBV chair Andreas Gassen says cuts to funding for outpatient care have removed more than 50 million appointments.
He says requiring practices to report fixed numbers of available appointments will not help patients get appointments faster.
The new rules set quotas for appointments that practices must report to appointment services; previously, practices chose how many to report.
Gassen says more appointments will be possible only if more funding is provided for outpatient care.
- Who
- The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), represented by chair Andreas Gassen, warns about longer waits for publicly insured patients.
- What
- The KBV says patients will wait longer for appointments and criticises a new requirement for practices to report fixed numbers of available appointments.
- When
- From next year, according to the KBV.
- Where
- Germany.
- Why
- Gassen says outpatient-care funding cuts have removed more than 50 million appointments, and reported appointment quotas may block appointments from patients at practices.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Bundestag approved a reform of emergency care that requires practices to report appointments in amounts set by regional physicians’ associations in agreement with health-insurance groups.
The KBV says publicly insured patients will wait longer than before for doctor appointments.
- Appointments cut
- More than 50 million, according to Andreas Gassen
- New reporting rule
- Practices must report fixed appointment quotas
- Previous rule
- Practices could determine how many available appointments to report
- Additional funding
- Gassen says more outpatient-care funding is needed for more appointments
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What people are saying
Nur wenn mehr Geld für die ambulante Versorgung zur Verfügung steht, wird es mehr Termine geben können.
Die Terminnot wird sich also weiter verschärfen.