Health reform: Statutory health insurance doctors predict longer appointment waiting times
In the future, doctors are to report a fixed number of free appointments, previously they could determine the scope themselves. Why the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians does not see this as a way to faster appointments.
Patients with statutory health insurance will have to wait longer for doctor's appointments from next year, according to Andreas Gassen, chairman of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV). The German government has cut funding for outpatient care, resulting in over 50 million fewer appointments. The KBV has criticised a new "terminmeldepflicht" (appointment reporting obligation) which requires doctors to report a fixed number of available appointments, which they say will further exacerbate the shortage of appointments.
The KBV argues that more funding for outpatient care is needed to increase the number of available appointments.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
