VIENNA. The Vienna Medical Affiliation had pollster Peter Hajek perform a complete research. Thriller calls, i.e. nameless calls, had been made to 850 docs to search out out when an appointment can be attainable.
There are 14 youngster and adolescent psychiatrists with a medical insurance contract in Vienna, ten had been contacted. The thriller caller posed as a mother or father of a ten-year-old youngster who was withdrawn and really unhappy. There’s a referral from the household physician. 4 docs mentioned they weren’t accepting new sufferers; the remaining six had a median ready interval of 90 days. It doesn’t matter what specialty it’s: For all statutory medical insurance physicians, the ready time had elevated massively in comparison with a survey from 2012. Again then, individuals in Vienna waited a median of 9 days for an eye fixed physician appointment; right now it’s 44 days (see graphic).
No knowledge was collected for Higher Austria. “Everyone knows that the ready instances are lengthy, there is no such thing as a want for thriller calls,” mentioned Higher Austria’s Medical Affiliation President Peter Niedermoser. In acute circumstances, an appointment should all the time be made instantly. “The docs are to not blame for the ready instances. It’s the accountability of the Austrian Well being Insurance coverage Fund to make sure that there are sufficient statutory medical insurance docs.” In Higher Austria alone, 36 positions for basic practitioners and eleven for specialists are at the moment unfilled.
Medical Affiliation President Johannes Steinhart additionally needs to save lots of sufferers the annoyance of lengthy ready instances. With a purpose to make checkout positions extra enticing, the chamber wish to see the growth of the beginning bonus of 100,000 euros for all checkout positions, versatile part-time contracts, higher charges and fewer forms.
Computerized billing
There’s a change for the elective docs: Beforehand, the affected person paid the invoice and will submit it to the medical insurance firm to obtain a partial refund. From July 1st, docs are legally obliged to ship the affected person’s bill to the ÖGK.
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Annette Gantner
Inner politics editor
Annette Gantner
