Bavaria's doctors want to return to family doctor contracts

Bavaria's doctors want to return to family doctor contracts. The Bavarian family physicians' association calls in a statement back the already concluded contracts.

23/02/2011

Between the doctors and the statutory health insurance broke out at the end of last year a bitter dispute. The family doctor association threatened with the exit from the cash register system. Then promptly announced a variety of health insurance themselves contracts. Now the GPs covet another entry into the system. It is still unclear whether most health insurance companies will return to one „deal“ let in. The small statutory health insurance for farmers and foresters (LKK) has already successfully completed the first negotiations. The fund is assigned a pioneering role.

In the first negotiations for the return to the POS system, Bavaria's family physicians recorded a first success for themselves. The LKK (traditional fund of farmers and foresters) wants to continue the family doctor contract retroactive to the beginning of 2011 again. Another larger health insurance association wants to resume the contracts. Here, however, the contract is only valid for a limited period until the middle of the year, so that both sides have the opportunity to negotiate again. It is still unclear which fund it is.

Family doctor contracts were terminated without notice
At the end of last year, a large number of health insurance companies had terminated the medical contracts without notice. This was preceded by a bitter dispute over the fee system, although the new contracts promised significant benefits for physicians. The Bayerische Hausärzteverband called in the course of the conflict to exit the cash register system. In a member survey was voted on whether the doctors together give the Kassenärztliche approval. If 60 percent of the surveyed family doctors had agreed, the system would have been phased out. In the end, in a membership poll, there was no majority for the protest action proposed by the association. However, the health insurance companies had terminated the family doctor contracts without notice. The coffers justified this step because the doctors with the announcement to return the cash register approval, would have violated the law. According to the argumentation of the health insurances, the basis of the treaties was blatantly violated. Although ultimately the family doctor association could not prevail with its own members, the health insurance companies stuck to their resolute position. The consequences were sometimes very bitter for the doctors. The more than 7,000 affected Bavarian GP surgeries have to accept sales losses of about € 10,000 per quarter.

Negotiations with the AOK were included
Responsible in the dispute was on the part of the cash registers, the Bavarian General local health insurance AOK. The health insurance fund is the largest member of the statutory health insurance in Bavaria and thus has the greatest influence. According to the AOK, at first only negotiations with the general practitioners' association were started. Concrete results have not yet been achieved.

However, according to current findings, the negotiations are likely to drag on even further. Because the Bavarian medical association urges that the contracts on the legal basis are closed again, as they were before the termination without notice. These corresponded at least partially to the ideas of the medical representatives. According to some doctors, however, the AOK does not want to get involved. According to internal sources, the atmosphere of the meetings was cool but friendly.

Now one might think, after the unsuccessful protest, the medical representatives take a humble attitude towards the health insurance. Apparently this is not the case, because the designated chairman of the family doctors association, Dr. med. Dietrich Mittler said in a statement: „To family doctor contracts under old law, there is no alternative“. And you want to go with that „to fight uncompromising hardness“. Whether the AOK on such a „hardness“ it is questionable. After all, the bosses have proved that they are sitting on the longer lever. And even the members of the association should not be happy that the contracts were terminated, although the majority voted against the exit of the cash system. The long-running dispute has so far brought the family doctors only losses rather than improved fee systems. (Sb)

Read on the topic of general practitioners association & contracts:
AOK Bayern announces general practitioner contracts without notice
Family doctor association insists on system change
Bavaria calls doctors to reason
Substitute funds also terminate family doctor contract
Bavaria: family doctors make front against health insurance

Picture: Gerd Altmann