This is what the federal government is planning for patients

New system planned

First family doctor, then specialist: what should change for patients

Go straight to a specialist? This will soon no longer be possible in Germany. What exactly the federal government is planning and which models could serve as a model.

If you have an earache go straight to an ENT specialist, if you have a rash go straight to a dermatologist: this should soon be over. If the federal government’s plans go according to plan, the family doctor will become the central controller in the health system in the future. He is supposed to coordinate the patients’ journey and guide them specifically through the jungle of specialist disciplines. A mammoth project.

So far, Germans have moved relatively freely through the healthcare system. In a European comparison, Germans are among the leaders when it comes to doctor visits. The result: Doctors complain about a high workload and costs in the healthcare system are rising. And the patients themselves often appear overwhelmed. Experts have been criticizing the complexity of the German healthcare system for years. According to studies, a large proportion of Germans are afraid of not finding the right doctor for their problem. The federal government therefore wants to rely on a “primary doctor system”. But what does that mean specifically for you?

The planned model provides for important exceptions. Without a prior referral, you can probably still visit the following practices:

Special solutions are planned for chronically ill people, such as annual referrals or the recognition of the respective specialist as the primary contact person. The model is not only intended to save costs, but also to improve care:

Criticism comes from consumer protection. Ramona Pop, board member of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations, warns: “The system will not solve the difficult access to specialists, but will create new problems.” The concern: General practitioner practices that are already overloaded could become a bottleneck. Critics note that there are already too few general practitioners today. Specialists are also skeptical. The Association of ENT Doctors, for example, warns that serious illnesses could be detected too late by going through the family doctor. In addition, many specialists are concerned about losing patients if the family doctor acts as a “filter”.