Patients are often happy about any family doctor’s practice, especially in rural areas. Many practices are groaning under the strain – now the conditions for doctors should improve.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to help family doctor practices, which often suffer from constant strain, with a package of measures. Among other things, caps on fees for general practitioners are to be lifted, according to ministry circles in Berlin. The focus would also be on easing bureaucratic requirements and regulations for home visits. Lauterbach wants to discuss the improvements at a meeting with representatives of the private medical profession and health insurance companies this Tuesday in Berlin.
The chairman of the General Practitioners Association, Markus Beier, warned that declarations of intent should not remain. Without concrete legislative steps in the coming weeks and months, the situation risks getting worse, he told the German Press Agency. “In concrete terms, this means that more and more patients can no longer find a family doctor’s practice that can still accept them and at the same time the waiting times are becoming longer and longer.” The crisis meeting in Lauterbach must be a turning point against the impending collapse of family medical care.
Protest by closing the practice
Most recently, medical associations called for practices nationwide to be closed between the years. The protests took place as part of a campaign under the slogan “Practice in Need”. On a bridge day in October, many doctor’s practices remained closed in protest. Critics had accused the doctors of venting their displeasure at the expense of patients. For example, emergency care doctors would have to step in in the hospital if there was no open practice available to patients in an acute case.
Beier called for the de-budgeting of primary care care to actually happen. “This would ensure that general practitioner practices are finally paid for all the services they provide.” This is not the case everywhere today. “The patience of our family medicine colleagues is slowly running out here.” The traffic light coalition had promised in its coalition agreement: “We are abolishing the budgeting of medical fees in the general practitioner sector.” The cap on payment that also existed for other groups of doctors had already been lifted for pediatricians last year. Lauterbach had argued that this was also happening in view of a shortage of pediatricians.
Lack of family doctors
In parts of Germany there is also a glaring shortage of general practitioners – especially in rural regions. General practitioner association leader Beier spoke of a “full-blown crisis in primary care care.” Many practices are at the limit of their resilience. “Unfortunately, patients are now also feeling the consequences first hand.”
Beier also called for a noticeable reduction in the ever-expanding bureaucracy. Lauterbach also said in an interview: “In recent years, enormous bureaucracy has built up in practices – this must now come to an end.” His ministry has been working on a law to reduce bureaucracy for months.
However, Lauterbach rejected demands for more money in general. Other medical associations had called for the budgets, i.e. the overall limits on the payment of practicing doctors, to be generally abolished.
Income and expenses of the practices
Medical practices generate more than 70 percent of their income from billing the statutory health insurance companies. According to the latest information from the Federal Statistical Office for 2021, the average income was 756,000 euros. This was offset by expenses of 420,000 euros. This resulted in an average net income of 336,000 euros per practice. However, this value is influenced by practices with very high income and expenses, it was said. Around half had income of up to 464,000 euros and a net income of up to 233,000 euros. The information also refers to group practices and care centers with several doctors.
The statisticians explained that the net income cannot be equated with the profits or income of the doctors. It represents the result of the financial year for the entire practice, but does not take into account, for example, expenses for old-age, disability, survivors’ and health insurance for the practice owners. Personnel costs are included in the expenses. According to the Virchowbund, income tax and investments in medical devices also have to be paid from this.
