Missed doctor's appointments: Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians demands a penalty fee!

Missed doctor's appointments: Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians demands a penalty fee!

In the Melsungen, a discussion about missing doctor's appointments caused excitement among the medical specialists. Again and again it happens that patients do not appear on their agreed appointments and do not cancel them in time. This not only has financial consequences for the doctor's practices, but also means that other patients who are dependent on an appointment are empty.

Andreas Gassen, the chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), sees a possible means of introducing a penalty fee for such patients in solving the problem. This fee should then be borne by the health insurance companies in order to compensate for the financial loss. Doctor Axel Figge, the spokesman for the general practitioner association in the Schwalm-Eder district, has concerns about this concept. Instead, he relies on an open conversation and the dialogue with the patient. "We don't want to make ourselves an enemy," said Figge. Rather, for long -term patients it is about promoting understanding and insight, and not about punitive measures.

deadlines and their importance

The problem of unexcused failures also affects general practitioner Lotta Jacob from Melsungen. In her opinion, it is currently not necessary to charge default fees, even if the topic regularly comes up with team meetings. It emphasizes the need to maintain a personal relationship with the patients and offers various communication channels to make deadlines as straightforward as possible.

A common problem represent particularly time-consuming appointments, such as child pension examinations or extensive check-ups. If such appointments are not canceled on time, this not only leads to financial losses, but also to frustration in other patients who rely on an early date. Jacob points out that her practice offers an app through which patients can cancel or move their appointments in good time.

The acceptance of appointment cancellations has improved in many practices, as with general practitioner Susanne Schachtrupp in Melsungen. It emphasizes that she sends the patient a memory message the day before an important appointment to minimize unexcused failures. This measure has actually contributed to reducing the number of failures, which benefits both the doctor's practices and the patient.

The supply situation in the family practices is not easy. Up to 50 percent of the patients are short -term acute visits, which means that the practices are always well utilized. In these cases, an unusual date means less stress and more smooth process for everyone involved.

The problem of the deadline failures concerns not only the doctors, but also the patients who are dependent on treatment. Better communication management and an understanding of the situation could help to avoid further inconvenience. Für eine detaillierte Betrachtung des Falls, see the report on www.hna.de .