Restart of Independent Patient Counseling planned

Independent patient consultation: Restart planned for mid-February

28/01/2011

The Independent Patient Advice Germany (UPD) will be available again from mid-February for questions on health, medical treatment and health insurance. Patients can seek independent advice from drug manufacturers and physicians for free.

After the existing model of the UPD expired at the end of 2010, the participating organizations have decided to continue the UPD from mid-February on the basis of the legal regulations by the Pharmaceutical Market Reorganization Act (AMNOG). In case of problems with doctors, clinics or health insurance companies, from 15 February on, patients can again reach independent experts nationwide via the free consultation hotline. The currently closed regional counseling centers should be reopened as soon as possible, said the patient representative of the Federal Government, Wolfgang Zöller (CSU) and the spokesman of the health insurance on Thursday in Berlin.

Model phase of Independent Patient Counseling expired
The UPD project, which expired at the end of 2010 after a ten-year model phase, was originally launched by the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv), the Sozialverband VdK Deutschland and the Verbund independent Patientenberatung (VuP). However, UPD has ceased operations since the beginning of the year and is now being restructured. The continuation of the UPD for the next five years was transferred from the umbrella organization of the statutory health insurances in cooperation with the patient representative of the Federal Government as well as patient organizations, scientists and health insurers to the former model participants. The costs of just under 5.2 million euros annually, however, are largely covered by the contributions of statutory health insurance. About 360,000 euros take over the private health insurance. The health reform, which was decided in the second half of 2010, for the first time provided for permanent financing of the previous model project from 2011 onwards.

Currently no advice from the UPD Advisory Hotline
Since the beginning of the year, no one can be reached under the Hotline of the Independent Patient Advice Germany (UPD). A band announcement indicates that the UPD is currently being reorganized and therefore no counseling is possible. Oh on the former UPD website it says: „Our consulting company is currently being reorganized“ and „We are pleased to announce that Independent Patient Advice Germany will be resuming the consulting business shortly“. With the contract now signed, it is clear that from 15 February, the independent experts will be available to counselors for health care, medical treatment and health insurance benefits.

From February again free patient consultation
In addition to the free central advice hotline, the UPD will in future be answering their questions in 21 regional counseling centers. Their internet presence will also activate the UPD by then. From the middle of February, all those seeking advice will be able to find out more from UPD by telephone, in person, by post or online. While in the model phase several tens of thousands of advice seekers have turned to the UPD each year in the past few years, Designated UPD Managing Director Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler expects around 100,000 consulting cases a year, not least because of the improved offerings. In the last four years of the model phase, there has been a significant increase in consulting requests, with a total of more than 250,000 patients joining the UPD between 2006 and 2010.

Patients learn about diseases, treatments and services
According to Florian Lanz, spokesman of the GKV-Spitzenverbands, all inquiries received so far at the UPD should be systematically evaluated in order to detect possible errors in the system. The UPD offers one „fantastic source of information“, which makes it possible to learn from the mistakes also, explained the GKV press spokesman. The preliminary evaluation of the previous counseling cases has shown that the majority of patients (45 percent) have questions about the services of the payers, 39 percent wanted to find out about medical aspects of individual diseases or therapies and 33 percent sought advice on legal problems. The majority of inquiries (80 percent) were received by phone. In the view of all those involved, this underlines the importance of the free central advice hotline, which was previously available under the number 0800-0117722.

UPD helps identify health issues
With the legal anchoring of the UPD in the German Medicines Market Reorganization Act (AMNOG), last year the Federal Government took into account the existing need for a neutral counseling service, which is independent of individual interests (for example the pharmaceutical industry or medical associations). As stressed by the GKV spokesman Lanz, it is crucial for a functioning health care system that insured persons can exercise their rights against the so-called service providers (doctors, clinics, health insurance companies) as independently as possible. The advice of the UPD offers a very helpful support. Patient adviser Wolfgang Zöller also explained that advising the UPD can help to identify and address health-related deficiencies more quickly - if necessary by changing the law.

Intermediate possibilities of patient consultation
Patients who currently have urgent questions about medical treatments, health insurance benefits and general health may find themselves in the transitional period until reopening the UPD „For example, contact the citizen hotline of the Federal Ministry of Health“, said Stefan Etgeton, health expert of the vzbv. In addition, advice seekers could also turn directly to the patient representative of the Federal Government. In addition, however, there are usually fee-based consultations of the regional consumer centers available and patients can also contact complaints directly to their health insurance or the competent medical association. Günther Jonitz, board member of the German Medical Association recommends the patient, however „first of all (...) in case of problems in the course of treatment (to) try to clarify the issue with the attending physician himself“, because the doctor-patient relationship is based on mutual trust, which can easily be destroyed by over-hasty complaints. But which doctor will honestly inform his patients about possible errors in the treatment or his own mistakes? The change of physician recommended by Jonitz for problems persisting after the discussion also does not help patients very much, for example when treatment errors have already had their negative health effects. This makes it clear what a high priority independent counseling for patients has, as they can get information without disturbing the relationship of trust with their doctor. (Fp)

Picture: R. B.