Significant differences in quality among doctors and clinics

Insured people see significant fluctuations in treatment quality
The quality of medical services is subject in the opinion of the insured significant fluctuations. Every second insured person sees significant differences in the quality of doctors, according to the statement of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) based on the results of a recent Forsa survey commissioned by the Scientific Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (WINEG) of TK. At hospitals, corresponding differences would be perceived by every third insured person. Overall, however, most insured persons were quite satisfied with the medical care in Germany.

According to the TK, every fourth surveyed insured person was convinced that he was able to assess the quality of his doctor very well and "a further 38 percent mostly trust their own judgment." In the evaluation, almost half of the respondents (48 percent) stated clearly Differences in medical quality and 35 percent of the insured were also observed differences in hospital services. However, 44 percent of those insured claim that they have difficulty finding objective and reliable information about the quality of a good doctor or hospital. The provision of comprehensive information on the quality of doctors and clinics was therefore demanded by many respondents.

The quality of treatment of physicians and clinics can vary significantly according to the insured. (Image: megaflopp / fotolia.com)

Quality orientation of medical care
The director of WINEG, dr. According to Frank Verheyen, the survey results indicate that quality is an important issue for the insured. "It is therefore to be welcomed that the legislator has taken quality aspects into account in the recently adopted Hospital Structure Act - even though in our view this is only a first step towards a consistent quality orientation," Verheyen continued. For example, the law takes up approaches to quality-based remuneration. According to its own statements, the TK has been preparing the information from the so-called structured quality reports of the hospitals in a comprehensible manner for ten years and makes them available online via the TK-Klinikführer. The insured would also be supported online in the search for a suitable doctor or hospital.

Insured overall happy with the health service
In addition to the individual critical aspects, the current survey also clarifies, according to the TK, that a large majority of those insured by law in Germany provide a good overall certificate of medical care. Thus, 45 percent of those insured in the German health care system would feel "well looked after" and another 35 percent even "very good", reports the TK. On average, four out of five insured (80 percent) are satisfied with the healthcare system. (Fp)