Doctor-in-chief calls for: patients to pay for unnecessary doctor visits and reaps criticism

Germany’s top doctor has accused patients, their health card mercilessly exploit. To restrict this, the Chairman of the Board of the cash-medical Federal Union (KBV), Andreas streets, criminal payments in the game. Of the health insurance funds and the German Foundation for patient protection, he received vigorous opposition.

“It may be permanent hardly any patients with no penalty is permitted, every doctor, every specialist in the direction of visit as often as you like, and often two or three Doctors of the same specialty,” said the Chairman of the Board of the cash-medical Federal Union (KBV), Andreas streets, the “New osnabrück newspaper” (Saturday). “Currently, the is not controlled. The health card works as a flat rate, and there are patients who take advantage of that mercilessly.”

Health card functioning as a flat rate

Streets proposed election rates for all NHS patients, in order to achieve a control. “Who is obliged to limit itself to a coordinating doctor, and kidney, should benefit from a more favorable cash-in-tariff,” he said. “Who would at any time go to any doctor, would have to pay more.” It was high time, and he was sure it would be very well received.

The speaker of the top Association of statutory health insurance, Florian Lanz, said: “To be a back-door penalty payments for sick people, who turn for help to the supposedly wrong place?” This is “not a good idea,” he told the German press Agency.

The Executive Board of the German Foundation for patient protection, threw alleys of uncertainty. “As in the great house the main official doctors officials,” said Chairman of the Foundation, Eugen Brysch of the German press Agency. “Now, the right is to be restricted, to choose his physician freely.”

Already the practice fee was not taken care of permanently for less visits to the doctor, therefore, they had been in 2013, abolished, said Brysch. If the patient should actually be priority controlled, it could not be placed in the hands of the Doctors. This would require political decisions.

Doctors have no time for real emergencies?

Streets defendant at the same time, an Overload of the emergency services of hospitals, especially on weekends. Then the patient would have time. “And you mean, in the hospital, there is the all-Round carefree package,” he said. “Only to Ikea, then in the emergency ambulance. The entitlement attitude is sometimes mind-boggling.” The staff at the rescue places to stay so no time for real emergencies.

Also streets called forth criticism. “We need to rebuild the emergency care of patients,” said health insurance Association spokesman Lanz. “Patient abuse is not a solution for current challenges”. The health care sector to respond to the needs of the patient and not Vice versa.

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