Bavarian family doctor association with new chairman

Former BHÄV boss Hoppenthaller becomes honorary chairman. Dieter Geis new chairman of the Bavarian Association of General Practitioners.

24/02/2011

The Bayerische Hausärzteverband (BHÄV) has elected a new chairman. After Wolfgang Hoppenthaller had resigned at the end of last year, because the planned collective return of the cash approvals by the Bavarian family doctors failed, and Wolfgang Krombholz temporarily took the lead, is now the general practitioner. Dieter Geis at the head of the BHÄV.

BHÄV elects supporters of the system exit to the chairman
The delegation of 99 voters voted at the meeting of the BHÄV with 96 votes for the family doctor Dieter Geis as the new chairman of the association. The dispute between BHÄV and AOK over the remuneration of medical services is likely to pick up again with the election of the 59-year-old family doctor from Lower Franconia. Because Geis represents a similar position as Hoppenthaller and classified the planned collective system exit of the physicians in principle as a correct consequence. His predecessor's analysis of the problems arising from the health care reform was correct. However „the cash registers (...) played a double game“, explained the new association chairman. „Our attempted system exit was for them (the health insurance companies) only a welcome reason to get rid of the unpopular family doctor contracts“, emphasized Dieter Geis.

New chairman of family doctors calls for a closed appearance
In the future, the new BHÄV chairman hopes for a closed appearance of the members of the association, in the dispute with the health insurance companies. In December of last year, only about 40 percent of the physicians at a meeting of the BÄV had pleaded for the collective return of the cash register. The then chairman Wolfgang Hoppenthaller had, however, a minimum of 60 percent approval, in order to follow the plans deeds. After the return of the cashiers had failed, announced the AOK and some smaller Bavarian state funds their family doctor contracts with the BHÄV without notice because of breach of contract by the association. The then BHÄV chairman Wolfgang Hoppenthaller also spoke up in the current meeting and reminded the attending physicians of the disputes in the past year: „They (...) proved to the coffers that they did not have the courage to defend themselves against their evil game. Although 42 percent of the colleagues voted for the exit, so it was too few.“ He had not resigned at that time because the behavior of the BHÄV was wrong, but because he had misjudged the readiness of the members to participate in the planned collective system exit, said the former chairman. Wolfgang Hoppenthaller was appointed honorary chairman of the association at the meeting and received standing ovations for his speech. The conclusion of the former BHÄV boss: „Show solidarity with the new board or be content with the bread crumbs, which in the future still fall from the table of the cash registers.“ (Fp)

Read on this topic:
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: Logo of the general practitioners association