Healthy people go to the doctor too often

Health insurance study: Healthy people go to the doctor too often.

(16.09.2010) According to a study by the health insurance Barmer GEK Germans go to the doctor too often, although there is no illness. Healthy health insurance patients go to the family doctor twice a quarter on average. The Germans go to the doctor most often in a global comparison. The Germans go to the doctor twice a quarter, although there is no serious illness. This is the result of a health insurance study by Barmer GEK. Every legally insured person goes to the doctor 18 times a year on average.

If you compare the data worldwide, the Germans are the most likely to go to the doctor. Only in Japan are there still approximately comparable high values. Based on the results of the study, Barmer GEK-Kassen boss Birgit Fischer calls for better control of outpatient medical care. Better control could avoid unnecessary visits to the doctor. Insured persons are classified as healthy if they do not incur more than 100 euros in costs for the health insurance funds. However, many doctor visits are carried out due to serious illnesses such as hypertension, heart failure and depression. Patients with high blood pressure go to the treating physician 32 times a year on average. Patients with depression go to the doctor about 44 times and heart failure patients require a consultation with the doctor about 48 times. Dialysis patients most often require medical care, and around 200 physician contacts were measured each year. However, according to the results of the study, the high pedestal of almost eight doctor contacts per year remains striking, „which accounts for patient contacts from supposedly minor occasions“ as the cash register reports.

The average annual expenditure of a sickness patient with about 4 illnesses amounts to 6,400 Euro. In view of these figures, Barmer chairman Birgit Fischer showed no understanding for the protests of GPs. By the family doctor contracts could be controlled against the unnecessary visits to the doctor. But these contracts should not be negotiated only by the GP. Because that would give the association a strong market power. "We need an alliance for health It does not help if individual groups agree on individual interests." The Federal Minister of Health wants to limit the rising revenue of doctors by the family doctor contracts. The GP's protests, however, with protest events and practice closures. However, doctors earn on average around 164,000 euros a year. The increase in fees in recent years was particularly pronounced in Northern Germany. For example, doctors in Hamburg recorded increases of around 24 percent.

But not only in conventional medicine operation, the visits of supposedly healthy people are critically discussed. In the often as „holistic“ There is also more and more efforts on the part of therapists with natural remedies to exclusively treat people with discomfort and not to regard other diagnoses in people without complaints, such as posture and dietary advice, as being in need of treatment. (Sb)

Also read:
Rösler has no sympathy for family doctor protests
Insured persons should be involved in medical expenses