Plan Go to the physiotherapist without a doctor's visit

Betterment planned by physiotherapists and masseurs

04/03/2015

According to a newspaper report, the Union wants to significantly strengthen the position of physiotherapists, speech therapists, masseurs and other health professionals. Patients may be able to go from doctor to therapist without prescription. The planned scheme could also save money.

Upgrade the position of health professionals
According to reports from recent years, about one million children in Germany have language development difficulties. Many of them can be helped by a speech therapist. For neck tension, back pain, or after surgery, patients are often referred to a physiotherapist or, in some cases, a masseur. Affected so far need a prescription from the doctor when they visit such therapists. This could possibly change in the future, because "the Union wants the position of physiotherapists, speech therapists, masseurs and other medicine providers," according to a newspaper report, "significantly upgraded".

Therapists decide on necessary applications
As the „Southgerman newspaper“ (SZ) writes, they should not only get more money, according to a paper of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group. They should therefore be able to decide "freely in the future and without medical prescription about which applications their patients need". According to the information, the Union even wanted to have patients tested for health insurance costs directly to their therapists without first going to the doctor. This approach is possible, for example, in Sweden and the Netherlands.

Planned regulation could save money
The practice in Germany looks different: Here the doctor prescribes to the therapist which application the patient should receive. Since the therapists often consider other methods to be more appropriate, this regulation often leads to conflicts, according to the newspaper report. In addition, initial findings from field studies indicate, according to the Union, that a blank regulation would even save money. Accordingly, the number of applications will be reduced if the doctors do not dictate the therapist.

Patients would benefit more
In addition, studies show that patients benefit more from services that their physiotherapist suggests. The wider scope for decision-making also increases the satisfaction of the therapist with their work. How important this is, explained the health spokesman of the Union, Jens Spahn: „Therapists are an important pillar of our healthcare. We have to make this profession fit for the future and attractive for junior staff.“ (Ad)