Heavy criticism Appointment service is not properly implemented by health insurance physicians

Patients criticize: Doctors use appointment service only half-heartedly
Already last year, it had been announced that in the future, cash-desk patients would receive specialist appointments within four weeks with the help of contracting agencies. In the coming week the appointment service points are to start. But the physicians in private use the service very bad, criticize patient advocates.

New service should ensure faster medical appointments
The fact that you often have to wait for a specialist appointment for a very long time, most people have probably ever had to learn. Above all, cash patients must be patient. According to a study from last year, they have to wait an average of 23 days longer than privately insured. After long-announced improvements from Monday, January 25, so-called "appointment service points" of the Kassenärztlichen associations are launched, the legally insured should get a timely appointment with the specialist. Panel doctors criticize the new appointment service centers since their introduction was announced. And apparently they do not do their job satisfactorily.

Insured persons often have to wait a long time for an appointment with the specialist. Here the awarding authority should offer remedy. (Image: M. Schuppich / fotolia.com)

Sharp criticism from patient advocates
As the news agency dpa reports, the German Foundation for Patient Protection has accused the Kassenärztlichen associations to have the registries for specialist appointments more bad than right. Foundation Board Eugen Brysch told the German Press Agency: "In the appointment service points of the physicians is nationwide haywire." This would have recent research by the Foundation in all provinces a few days before the start of the service on Monday. It is said that the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians obviously does not fulfill its control function for regional medical associations. Brysch said, but now had to bring "order in the jumble. We need a nationwide standardized system for the appointment of specialists for cash register patients. "

Big differences in the individual federal states
The appointment service points, which are to be set up with the regional Kassenärztliche associations, are to mediate by law to insured persons with a referral within four weeks an appointment with a specialist. If this is not possible, patients can visit the outpatient department of a hospital. According to Brysch, for example, the service centers in Lower Saxony can be reached ten hours a day, but only two in Brandenburg. In addition, the reasonable distance to the specialist is interpreted differently in the various federal states. Patients in Baden-Wuerttemberg, for example, can expect a half-hour drive from their place of residence - in most other countries, the 30-minute period will not apply until the next specialist practice.

Association leader makes patients responsible
Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU) had called according to dpa, the medical profession, on Monday to ensure a smooth start of new exchanges. The responsible associations of statutory health insurance physicians have guaranteed a timely establishment of the appointment service points for health insurance patients. "So there is no reason why the doctors should not manage that," the politician told the news agency. This is about strengthening patient rights. According to the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, a better control of visits to the doctor makes appointing points superfluous. As Association Leader Andreas Gassen said, the waiting time would arise because there were too many patients who went to two, three or even more medical specialists because of the same symptoms. Brysch told dpa: "It is cheeky now to blame the patients for the chaos among the panel doctors." (Ad)