In Rhineland-Palatinate, too, doctors often miss appointments. Patients don’t cancel their appointments, they simply don’t show up. But potential fines often fail due to the bureaucratic effort.
The central institute for statutory health care speaks of a Germany-wide problem. 27.5 million appointments per year would not be kept without prior cancellation.
On the matter of Rhineland-Palatinate! on SWR, October 24th, 2024, 8:15 p.m
You can see a detailed report on the topic this evening at 8:15 p.m. on SWR on “On the Matter of Reinland-Palatinate!” The entire program will then be available in the ARD media library.
Mainz doctor: Ten percent of appointments are canceled without cancellation
Stefanie Lutz examines her next patient; he showed up on time. But even in her practice in downtown Mainz, appointments that the patients do not cancel in advance are repeatedly canceled.
The doctor complains that it is normal for up to ten percent of appointments to be canceled every day – without a cancellation. And that’s the case in many doctor’s offices. “It’s especially annoying when appointments, such as the long-term ECG, are canceled. The device is then gone for 24 hours and I can’t pass it on.”
When can a doctor’s office charge penalty fees? (Source: consumer advice center)
Loss fees from medical practices for missed or canceled medical appointments are only permitted in exceptional cases. If you reschedule the appointment by mutual agreement, you are on the safe side.
The doctor’s practice can only claim compensation if it has suffered a loss of earnings due to the canceled appointment. This occurs if the practice was unable to treat any other patients during the relevant time. You should therefore cancel your doctor’s appointments in good time to give the doctor’s practice the opportunity to reassign the appointment to someone else. Another requirement is that the practice is consistently accessible.
The amount of the fees is not set by law. It can currently be collected independently by the respective practice.
Call for uniform penalties for late-paying patients
The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) is therefore calling for a uniform regulation with regard to penalty fees for defaulting patients. The health insurance companies should cover such a penalty, KBV chairman Andreas Gassen recently demanded in the Bild newspaper. “It’s not just annoying when patients book appointments in practices and simply let them pass,” emphasized the association head. “Practices can’t make appointments twice.” Therefore, “a cancellation fee to be paid by the health insurance companies” is appropriate “if their insured persons make appointments and then do not attend without an excuse”. Doctors’ practices can already request this, but there is no obligation to do so.
Penalties are associated with a lot of effort
Stefanie Lutz generally believes that punitive fines are a suitable means, but she sees no way to implement this in her practice.
The discussion about the topic makes sense, one or the other may then realize that it is fairer to cancel the appointment. Punishment is the appropriate means, but not at all feasible for practices like ours. I would have to hire new staff for this. I don’t know if it would be profitable.”
The day before, ten appointments were canceled in her practice, she tells SWR. Something has to change, but she and her colleagues cannot afford the bureaucratic effort. Also the Rhineland-Palatinate General Practitioners Association it looks similar. There are more important things that need to be regulated for general practitioners than fines for patients.
Which patients simply don’t cancel their appointments?
According to Stefanie Lutz, on the one hand there are new patients who do not cancel their appointments. “They take the appointment that they get quickest and don’t cancel. With the long-standing ones, it’s always the same ones. We also talk to them, if the next one isn’t kept, then there’s no more appointment.”
Her patient Gert Albrecht also thinks the fines are appropriate. “I think that’s right, especially since it’s no longer a problem these days if you can’t keep an appointment. For example, here in the practice there is an internet portal, I can also send an email directly and say that the appointment is fine with me “Not at all,” says Albrecht.
Penalty fee against late appointments Opinion: Yellow and red cards for statutory health insurance doctors
Anyone who skips a doctor’s appointment without canceling first causes economic damage. Martin Rupps is in favor of a sanctions model with yellow and red cards.
Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians RLP also for penalty fees
Those too Rhineland-Palatinate Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is in favor of the penalty fees. However, she demands that patients should pay the fees themselves and not, as the federal association wants, the health insurance companies.
Peter Heinz from the Rhineland-Palatinate Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians emphasizes: “If a patient does not keep the appointment, we see it as the patient’s obligation to offset the costs that arise as a result. The costs are borne by the solidarity community.”
Tense financial situation in medical practices Statutory health insurance physicians demand fines if patients do not cancel appointments
The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is in favor of fines if patients do not attend appointments without an excuse. This is also causing trouble in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Tue.10.9.2024 9:00 a.m. SWR Aktuell in the morning SWR Aktuell
Practice in Worms has already introduced penalty fees
Joachim Wahlig is a specialist in surgery and primarily carries out skin and foot operations on an outpatient basis. He has been charging fines in his practice for six months. “What upsets me most is that we specialists are always portrayed as if we don’t have any appointments. But we do have them. They just often go unnoticed.”
The Worms specialist for skin and foot operations, Joachim Wahlig, is clearly in favor of fines. He complains that many complain about missing appointments, but often don’t come when they have appointments. SWR
This was bureaucratically feasible for him, said Wahlig on SWR. Because he only demands the fines for surgery appointments that are not kept. That’s less than the daily number of missed appointments in a family doctor’s office, says Wahlig. “The patients have to pay, otherwise they won’t get any more appointments. But we notice that this means the cancellations have decreased.”
The WOGE medical association also supports fines
The medical association “Worms Health Network” (WOGE) manages around 100 doctors around Worms, including Joachim Wahlig’s practice. She also sees the fees as a suitable means for specialists and not so much for general practitioners – due to the high level of bureaucratic effort.
However, the discussion shows that missed appointments are a real problem in doctors’ practices, said WOGE. In order to find a solution, bureaucratic hurdles would first have to be reduced so that a penalty fee not only relieves specialists but also general practitioners.
