Doctors chief fears big practice dying

Doctors chief fears practice dying - but why?
Two souls live, oh in my breast, one wants to part with the other. At the moment, the well-known Goethe quotation also applies to Andreas Khler, chair of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV). So far, he had always called for the now planned by the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) and the black-yellow federal government on the way brought model of reimbursement to the doctor. At the same time, Köhler warns that a quarter of doctors' offices would have to close as a result of the changes.

KBV boss has always stressed advantages of reimbursement
Until now, Köhler has always emphasized the benefits of reimbursement, where legally insured persons pay their own treatment costs for the time being and are then reimbursed by their insurance company. The model leads to a better cost control and increased competition, which in turn brings further efficiency gains, explained Köhler. So far, the cost control was always located at the doctor, „However, he considers it necessary for the insured to assume responsibility,“ so the statements of the KBV boss. The fact that this could be associated with a significant loss of practice, but he comes only after the decision on the new model of reimbursement. With the statement that 25 percent of the doctors' practices would have to close, Köhler hit a sore spot by the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP). Because even Rösler knows how important the patient is a nationwide care and therefore responded accordingly quickly and at the same time uncomprehending on the criticism of the KBV chief.

Doctors overloaded, no practice closes due to lack of patients
Currently, the doctors are heavily overloaded and even if the patients would fall sharply, would close no practices for lack of utilization, it said from the Federal Ministry of Health. If ever, the shortage of young talent is crucial for the possible closure of medical practices. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, every German goes to the doctor an average of 18 times a year, which is up to three times more than in comparable countries. For example, doctors do not have to fear unemployment due to lack of patients, as KBV acknowledged in a recent communication.

Acts the KBV boss only out of self-interest?
Why Köhler nevertheless provocatively provocates with such statements or stir up fears and fears not only among the 150,000 members of the KBV, is not very clear. However, there are initial speculations that assume that Köhler personally rejects the introduction of the reimbursement advocated by most KBV members. Actually understandable, because the patients pay their doctor directly, loses the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung their meaning and their boss Köhler may be his job. So far, the KBV is responsible for the negotiations with the insurance on the remuneration of doctors. Ultimately, Köhler could have tried with his warning before the closure of 25 percent of medical practices so unofficially torpedo the model of reimbursement - contrary to his public support - so as to secure his own long-term job. All in all, however, Köhler's extremely ambivalent statements cast a rather modest light on KBV and the public must ask itself what value it attaches to suggestions from this direction in the future. (fp, 12.10.2010)

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