Behind the scenes: MRI waiting time in Upper Austria revealed!

Behind the scenes: MRI waiting time in Upper Austria revealed!

The situation in the Austrian health system is becoming more and more critical, especially when it comes to waiting times for medical examinations. In Upper Austria, a 65-year-old pensioner with severe back pain only had to receive an MRI appointment after three months. Your family doctor had ordered the study of the lumbar spine to clarify the cause of pain. In order to avoid the long waiting time, she decided to pay 258 euros for an earlier appointment in a Linz hospital, which she received only two days after her request. For many patients, these expenses are a significant financial burden that not everyone can afford regularly, as the woman himself noted.

Andreas Stangl, President of AK-Ober Austria, expressed sharp criticism of the long waiting times and demanded more transparency regarding the average waiting times on the website of the hospitals. However, the problem is not only limited to Upper Austria, but also affects the entire country. According to a report by the press, patients in Vienna with acute pain often await at least six weeks for an MRI date, even if an immediate examination is medically necessary. The reason for these long waiting times is largely due to the insufficient number of available MRI devices, the number of which has not been increased in the past ten years.

two -class medicine in healthcare

The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) has explained the situation as a result of an too easy assignment by doctors and an inadequate utilization of the MRI devices in the hospitals. An MRI usually costs around 250 euros, but many patients can only afford this service as an option. In many cases, private patients benefit from faster appointments as health insurance patients, which further heats up the ongoing discussion about the two -class medical structures. This inequality is viewed by many as an expression of a serious and growing division in the health system in which payable patients are preferred.

An analysis of the current trends also shows that the number of older patients increases, while the number of health insurance doctors remains stagnating. Although the number of election doctors, i.e. the privately billing doctors, increases, there is no reliable data on the effects on general patient care. The proportion of the expenditure of the regional health insurance funds for election doctors rose from 4.6% in 2008 to 6.4% in 2018, while at the same time the health insurance documents: inside in various specialist areas.

reforms and expansion options

As part of the health reform measures that came into force on January 1, 2024, the government plans to create 100 additional contracting agencies in certain specialist areas. So far, however, only 67 of these places have been advertised and only 12 are currently in operation. The need to expand the contract medical care, especially in primary care, is considered urgent. The aim of these reforms is to have high -quality medical care for all patients in the long term: to ensure that there are additional costs.

Overall, it should be noted that the problem of waiting times and the unequal treatment in healthcare requires a comprehensive analysis and urgent measures to guarantee the quality of care for all patients: inside in Austria. 5min.at reports on the challenges in Upper Austria, while The press shows the far-reaching problems in Vienna. In addition, AWBlog.at The causes of the increasing use of Wahltärzt: Inside and the associated challenges in the health system.