Revolate doctors: ÖGK wants to save on blood tests!

Revolate doctors: ÖGK wants to save on blood tests!

A storm of outrage brides himself together among doctors in Carinthia and Burgenland after the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) came to the public with drastic savings measures in health care. The dramatic financing bottleneck of 900 million euros for 2025 forces the ÖGK to save rigorously during laboratory examinations and blood tests, which is due to the medical specialists. "We feel limited in our medical action," said Maria Korak director, spokeswoman for the resident doctors in Carinthia, and continued that these measures were not wearable because they could endanger patient security.

austerity measures and their effects

The ÖGK calls on the contract doctors to only arrange the laboratory parameters required for diagnostics and therapy during blood tests. This claim comes at a time when the expenses for CT and MRI examinations rose by 30 million euros, i.e. 14 percent last year. Ida Aringer, deputy ÖGK chief, appeals to the doctors to critically question the need for their assignments: "If it can be less, it is one less that we have to pay." But the doctors warn that more important studies could be neglected due to cost pressure. Korak leaders recalled that MRTS is the gold standard in the detection of serious diseases and that there could be serious consequences for the patients. "I don't want to be delayed or not discovered at all by withholding a MRTS," she warned.

The discussion about the financial situation and the role of the resident doctors in diagnostics is becoming increasingly heated, since more and more responsibility is being transferred to the outpatient clinics by hospitals. While the ÖGK relies on savings, the doctors require fair treatment and the right to carry out the necessary examinations for their patients without having to be afraid of financial consequences. This healthcare crisis causes a strong need for uniform solutions to ensure both the quality of medical care and the economic stability of the health insurance fund, as [kaernten.orf.at] and [burgenland.orf.at]