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Dispute over emergency service costs: wrong trips demand a solution in Brandenburg!
Märkisch-Oderland discusses the financing of emergency service “wrong trips”; State parliament calls for nationwide regulation of emergency care.
Dispute over emergency service costs: wrong trips demand a solution in Brandenburg!
In Brandenburg there is a huge boom in the emergency services sector. The dispute between health insurance companies and the districts and independent cities has noticeably escalated in the last few weeks. The main point of contention is so-called “wrong trips”, in which patients are not transported to a hospital. This not only causes confusion, but also financial burdens for the affected municipalities. How Daily Mirror reported, the health insurance companies refuse to cover the costs for these wrong trips, which leads to the Märkisch-Oderland district sending fee notices to citizens who called an ambulance.
However, after intensive negotiations, the dispute was resolved through a compromise - thanks to the mediation of Health Minister Britta Müller. The health insurance companies have provisionally agreed to cover the costs of missed trips. Nevertheless, the fundamental dispute over financing remains unresolved. The state parliament is urgently calling on the federal government to quickly pass the “Emergency Care Reform Act” in order to create a federal regulation for incorrect trips in the emergency services.
An urgent need for action
The situation in the emergency services is not only a hot potato in Brandenburg. More and more voices from the state parliament, such as that of SPD MP Julia Sahi, are emphasizing that the emergency service should be free of charge for citizens. At the same time, BSW MP Jouleen Gruhn criticizes the fact that, despite the increasing number of missions in which patients' lives are not in danger, local medical treatments are not financed. These challenges are placing increasing strain on districts and cities.
In addition, the MPs are calling for a federal regulation to recognize and pay for the care of patients in emergency practices as well as support for telemedical care approaches. These areas are not taken into account in the current law and therefore urgently need to be revised.
The need for reform is becoming louder
The current regulation in the German health system stipulates that only transport to the hospital is reimbursed, but not the medical services actually provided. This leads to unnecessary hospital transport, which many patients use without there being a medical need. The Steiger Foundation points out that it is time to include emergency treatment as an independent service segment in social legislation.
A proposal was also put forward to obtain dual financing, in which the investment costs would be borne by the states and the ongoing operating costs would be borne by the statutory health insurance (GKV). These considerations are important to ensure a uniform quality of care nationwide.
Finally, it remains to be hoped that the upcoming reforms will not only regulate the financing of the emergency services, but also ensure long-term high-quality care for patients in Brandenburg and beyond. The ball is now in the court of the federal government, which is called upon to finally act.