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 healthcare system is becoming increasingly 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. Her family doctor ordered an examination of the lumbar spine to determine the cause of the pain. To avoid the long waiting time, she decided to pay 258 euros for an earlier appointment at a hospital in Linz, which she received just two days after her request. These expenses are a significant financial burden for many patients, which not everyone can afford on a regular basis, as the woman herself noted.

Andreas Stangl, President of the AK-Upper Austria, expressed sharp criticism of the long waiting times and called for more transparency regarding the average waiting times on the hospital websites. However, the problem is not just limited to Upper Austria, but affects the entire country. According to a report by Die Presse, patients in Vienna with acute pain often wait at least six weeks for an MRI appointment, even if an immediate examination is medically necessary. The reason for these long waiting times is largely due to the insufficient number of MRI machines available, the number of which has not increased in the last decade.

Two-class medicine in the healthcare system

The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) has explained the situation as the result of too easy allocation by doctors and insufficient utilization of the MRI machines in the hospitals. An MRI usually costs around 250 euros, but many patients can only afford this service as an elective service. In many cases, private patients benefit from faster appointments than statutory health insurance patients, which further fuels the ongoing discussion about two-class medical structures. This disparity is seen by many as reflecting a serious and growing divide in the healthcare system, which favors wealthy patients.

An analysis of current trends also shows that the number of older patients is increasing, while the number of statutory health insurance physicians remains stagnating. Although the number of elective doctors, i.e. doctors who bill privately, is increasing, there is no reliable data on the impact on general patient care. The share of regional health insurance funds' expenditure on elective doctors increased from 4.6% in 2008 to 6.4% in 2018, while at the same time the number of statutory health insurance physicians in various specialist areas is decreasing.

Reforms and expansion opportunities

As part of the health reform measures that came into force on January 1, 2024, the government plans to create 100 additional contract positions in specific specialist areas. However, only 67 of these positions have been advertised so far and only 12 are currently in operation. The need to expand statutory health care, particularly in primary care, is considered urgent. The aim of these reforms is to ensure long-term, high-quality medical care for all patients without incurring additional costs.

Overall, it remains to be noted that the problem of waiting times and unequal treatment in the healthcare system requires a comprehensive analysis and urgent measures to guarantee the quality of care for all patients in Austria. 5min.at reports on the challenges in Upper Austria, during The press shows the far-reaching problems in Vienna. Also analyzed awblog.at the causes of the increasing use of elective doctors and the associated challenges in the health system.