TIROLER TAGESZEITUNG, leading article: "Into the hospital with a cold" by Anita Heubacher

2023-05-11 20:00:31

Issue of Friday, May 12, 2023

Innsbruck (OTS) – Some may remember what it was like before e-cards existed. Before 2005, there were pink and yellow health insurance cards. You first had to see your family doctor, who then decided which specialist doctor to consult. This is called the patient path or patient guidance system. The patients have left the prescribed path and refer themselves directly to the specialist. The latter is more and more often not a panel doctor, but a doctor of choice. If you can afford it, you pay extra for any shorter waiting times and a longer discussion with the doctor.
Austria’s health system is out of joint. Two-class medicine has established itself in the private sector, the number of private doctors has risen rapidly, while the number of panel doctors has remained about the same despite the increase in population.
This leads to an additional inflow to the outpatient clinics. This does not mean emergencies, which are hopefully in good hands in the hospital. It’s about those patients who are anything but an emergency. There are people who come to the hospital with a cough or runny nose, others end up in the ambulance because they have had lower back pain for weeks but no time to see a doctor in a private practice. The clinic is also something that patients have wanted for a long time but have not been able to get everywhere: a one-stop shop. Lots of expertise in one place, preferably around the clock and every day. Even on weekends. The primary care units, if they come to Tyrol, would be the approach in this direction.
Austria has many doctors, but not always in the right place. In addition, patient demands have increased. The opinion of a doctor is often not enough, even with minor complaints. Nobody will refuse a second opinion to a patient with a bad diagnosis. But there is nothing wrong with thinking about when the second opinion is free and when the patient has to contribute something. Multiple findings are accompanied by laboratory services, the number of which has risen sharply in recent years. This is also because doctors are less trusted or believed.
In order not to drive the healthcare system to the wall, a patient guidance system is needed. If it’s not the ambulance fee, then the referral could be. On paper or on the phone. Preferably with an appointment so that you save time in the waiting room.