Dentists criticize the planned fee schedule

New fee regulation: Dentists criticize the present draft

31/03/2011

The new draft law of the Federal Ministry of Health on the fee schedule for dentists (GOZ) is massively criticized by the Federal Dental Association (KZBV). The dentists accuse the Federal Ministry of Health that the current draft the „Cost developments of the last twenty years ignored“.

According to a draft GOZ amendment sent by the Federal Ministry of Health to the associations, state governments and health insurance companies on Tuesday, dentists will in future receive around six percent higher fees for dental treatment. While the association of private health insurances rejected the planned increases as too high immediately after the announcement of the new bill, Peter Engel, President of the Federal Dental Association, that „After 23 years of freezing (...) an approximately six percent increase is economically unacceptable“ be. The dentists demand a significantly higher fee increase.

Draft pricing scheme unacceptable to dentists
The reactions to the new Draft Fee Regulations can hardly be more different. While the association of private health insurers rejects the increase in fees by six percent as too high, the KZBV emphasizes that these are clearly too low and calls for a double-digit adjustment. The current bill ignores the cost developments of the last twenty years and the dentists „should continue to work at the 1988 fee level“, criticized the chairman of the board of the KZBV, Dr. med. Jürgen Fedderwitz. In order to take account of the advances made in dental technology in recent years and to secure the benefits of ever better therapeutic options for those insured under the law, there is a need for a modern GOZ. Fedderwitz. But at this point is the current draft „disastrous for patients and dentists alike“, as a part of medical progress with the fees „from 1988 economically not to do“ be. „This amendment is due solely to the political and financial circumstances“ stressed Peter Engel and also criticized that „new medical standards (...) are not sufficiently considered in the specifications“ become.

Recast of the fees for dentists urgently needed
The urgent need for a new version of the fee schedule for dentists is agreed by the insurance companies as well as the Federal Ministry of Health and the medical and dental associations. Because the existing, twenty-year-old fee schedule numerous newer treatment methods are not recorded at all. However, the doctors and dentists not only advocate a content-related adaptation with regard to the therapeutic options, but also hope for a significant increase in fees. Both the Federal Minister of Health Philipp Rösler (FDP) and the private health insurance have here but rather an opposite interest - they want to keep the cost increase as low as possible. Although the Federal Ministry of Health has expressed itself in the current draft bill for GOZ for a small increase in fees by six percent, but the Association of Private Health Insurance rejected this already as inappropriate.

PKV insists on cost reduction
According to the PKV Association, dentists have been able to record a significant salary increase without adjustment of the fee schedule in recent years. However, the private health insurance only refer to their own costs in the field of dental prostheses. The fact that other factors - such as the aging population - may have led to an increase in expenditure, as well as the cost development on the part of the dentists. Overall, the response of the private health insurance is almost a reflex to describe, which is triggered regularly, as soon as additional costs threaten. In addition to the six percent higher fees, the private insurers hurts in the current bill, especially the refusal of an opening clause, which would allow the private health insurance direct negotiations with the individual dentists. The exclusion of such an opening clause is for the KZBV and the Federal Dental Association, however, one of the few positive points in the new fee schedule. The fact that private health insurance companies can not conclude individual contracts with dentists, the dentists protect against an enormous negotiating pressure, which would otherwise use the private health insurance to reduce its own costs. (Fp)

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Picture: Harry Hautumm