Cash patients wait a long time for specialist appointment

NRW: Green Survey shows longer waiting times of cash patients at medical appointments

12/29/2011

The Greens MP Bärbel Höhn and patient rights expert Maria Klein-Schmeink commissioned a telephone survey in which test callers in 350 specialist medical practices in North Rhine-Westphalia tried to arrange appointments as health insurance or private patients. It turned out that cash patients have to wait an average of 23 days longer for an appointment with the specialist than private insured. Other polls had come to similar conclusions in advance.

Cash patients wait an average of 23 days longer for specialist appointment
In Bonn, cash patients even have to wait an average of 45 days longer than private patients for an appointment. In Cologne, those insured by law are 41 days longer and 33 in Aachen. Things look a little better in the Ruhr area. According to the survey, cash patients are here for 18 days longer. The slightest difference is in Wuppertal. Cash patients only wait about 10 days longer than private patients for a specialist appointment.

Bärbel Höhn, Deputy Leader of the Greens, commented critically on the "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung": „It's not fair that there are such differences. If physicians receive more than double the fee for a private patient, there is a systematic incentive to prefer it too.“

Cardiologists are legally insured for 38 days longer
According to the survey, the biggest difference in the waiting time for an appointment with cardiologists. Here insured persons are on average 38 days longer than privately insured. While private patients receive an appointment in NRW after about twelve days, cash patients wait an average of 50 days. In the case of radiologists, statutory insured persons wait an average of 23 days, for ophthalmologists 19 days and for orthopedists 12 days longer than private insured for an appointment.

The Greens want to counteract the serious differences with a civil insurance. The same conditions for privately and legally insured persons should apply to doctor's fees. Patient rights expert Maria Klein-Schmeink explains: „Then there is no reason for different waiting times on the doctor's appointment.“

In Germany, cash patients are disadvantaged
The trend from North Rhine-Westphalia can be transferred according to current study of the Mannheimer research group elections on behalf of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) on the whole of Germany. In September 2011, 2,048 randomly selected citizens in Germany were questioned about their experiences with the doctor. It came out that cash patients not only have to wait much longer for a doctor's appointment, but also in the doctor's office as „Second-class patient“ be treated. About 27 percent of those insured by law wait on average for more than half an hour and nine percent even more than an hour before they are asked to enter the treatment room. Only 14 percent of the privately insured wait more than half an hour in the doctor's office. Doctors defended the handling. Finally, privately insured would otherwise dodge to other practices at longer waiting times. "The higher fees of the private health insurance benefit also cash patients, since the money is used among other things for acquisitions", said Dr. Werner from Hannover. (Ag)

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Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners