Government plans to inject funds into primary care services.
Karl Lauterbach, the Federal Health Minister, is determined to enhance healthcare services not only in hospitals but also for general practitioners (GPs). This has led to the approval of a reform aimed at boosting GP care. The Healthcare Reinforcement Act has gained support from the cabinet, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive review of the healthcare system.
Lauterbach stated that the healthcare system requires a major revamp to maintain its strength, and hence, the reform of outpatient care is deemed essential alongside the hospital reform. This initiative centers on improving GP care by granting them more financial flexibility. A move towards abolishing fee caps in a process known as de-budgeting is part of this reform, making GP work more appealing.
Lauterbach added that patients should not be obligated to visit their GPs every three months solely for billing purposes, enabling a better allocation of resources for acute cases. Furthermore, he is hopeful that the abolition of fee budgets will entice GPs to accommodate more patients.
The Healthcare Reinforcement Act will also facilitate the formation of municipal medical care centers (MVZ) and enhance accessibility to child and adolescent psychotherapy. The government aims to simplify the application process for psychotherapy, making it easier and more flexible. Nursing staff and patient representatives will also gain more power within the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the central governing body in the healthcare system.
Initially, the draft bill proposed the introduction of health kiosks as low-entry points for rural areas with limited medical care and structurally weak urban districts. Additionally, a funding program for extra medical study places was contemplated. However, these proposals were criticized heavily by health insurance companies owing to the potential financial burden of hundreds of millions.
In response, Lauterbach removed both proposals from the bill to avoid unnecessarily delaying the approval process. Nevertheless, he intends to reincorporate these plans during the parliamentary debates.
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Doctors in primary care services will greatly benefit from the reforms proposed by Karl Lauterbach, the Federal Health Minister, as the Healthcare Reinforcement Act aims to grant them more financial flexibility. Criticisms from health insurance companies led to the removal of health kiosks and extra medical study place funding from the initial draft bill, but Lauterbach intends to revisit these plans during parliamentary debates, which are supported by the Traffic light coalition government.
Source: www.ntv.de
