Specialist Waiting Time May I spend as a private patient on the phone?

The chest hurts, the eyesight diminishes or the heart stumbles: In such or similar situations you need a patient's appointment as soon as possible. But especially specialized doctors such as cardiologists, ophthalmologists or orthopedists are often booked out for weeks. As a cash patient, the chances are almost hopeless to get a timely appointment. Already on the phone, the data is queried; it is not possible to get through. If you experience an absolute emergency, you can only go to a clinic. Can tricks help you make an appointment faster? We asked once.
Private patients at an advantage
Who is a private patient, has much better chances to get a quick medical appointment. A study had shown that patients who are insured by a statutory health insurance company have to wait an average of 20 days longer for an appointment with a specialist than private insured. This was the result of a study by the Greens in 2013. Recent studies even showed a further divergence of waiting times in favor of private patients. The reason: established physicians receive much higher fees for their diagnostics and treatments than the regular health insurance funds. "Doctors have to act economically to maintain the practice," argues cardiologist Dr. Reent Müller. The purchase of expensive instruments was "only with the PKV fees to realize".

"May I pose as a private patient to get a doctor's appointment faster?" Image: Robert Kneschke - fotolia

For the individual patient, such an argument does not matter. So what to do? Some cash-desk patients have resorted to simply lying on the phone and posing as a private patient. This will give you a much earlier date. Can this "white lie" also lead to success?

Christiane Lange from the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia answers the most important questions on the subject.
Do patients have to confirm on the phone that they are only insured by law? "No", emphasizes the consumer advocate. Patients are not required to "inform themselves whether they are legally or privately insured". But if the question follows "which insurance status you have, patients should tell the truth." Does a doctor have to check whether the patient is telling the truth? The doctor has a duty to investigate, the expert said. "If you pretend to be a private patient on the phone, the doctor may assume that this information is correct."
But some have already said the white lie on the phone. What happens then? If someone has given out on the phone as a private insurance and an appointment was made, which is reserved exclusively for private patients, the doctor has the right to send the cash-patient home and to refer to another talk time. "The obligation for immediate treatment exists only in an emergency".

New law should shorten waiting times
The waiting times for health insurance patients will soon be shortened. In July, the Federal Council passed the so-called pension strengthening law. Within 20 days legally insured persons should get a specialist appointment, if the family doctor has issued a transfer. "Extra established service points should help to arrange a specialist appointment," it said in a statement. However, if no specialist is found in the estimated time, the patient can also go to a nearby clinic for treatment there. From January 2016, the service centers will begin their work. However, the last details are still being discussed between the health insurance funds and the medical associations.

Already many cash registers are helpful
Already today, many health insurance companies help to find a specialist appointment. Employees of the cash registers take over the telephone service and take care of shorter waiting times. Since not all health insurances offer this service, patients should contact their health insurance directly. A study showed that this actually reduced the waiting time by a few days. Finally, the cash offers were inital giving to the legislature. (B)