Independent patient counseling in Germany

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Logo of the independent patient counseling Germany

The Independent Patient Counseling Germany profit company (UPD), serves the consumer and patient counseling, whether seeking advice legal , private or not health insurance.

history

The UPD was operated since January 1st, 2000 as a model project according to § 65b of the fifth book of the Social Security Code (SGB V). Regular care was taken up on January 1, 2011 (reform through the Medicines Market Reform Act, AMNOG). Until the clarification of the further sponsorship in January 2011, advice was only given in exceptional cases. After the contract was awarded to a Europe-wide tender, the free advice hotline was reactivated.

The organization is financed according to § 65b SGB V by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds through an allocation of the contributions of the fund members. The model project was designed for a period of four years and was limited to the end of 2010. According to Helga Kühn-Mengel , patient commissioner of the federal government , the aim of the model project was "to develop a range of advice and information as a standard service that is independent of health insurers and service providers". This goal is specified by § 65b SGB V.

The organization officially started its work on January 30, 2007. The model association and shareholders of the Independent Patient Advice Germany UPD non-profit GmbH founded in 2006 were the social association VdK Germany eV , the German Consumer Association (vzbv) and the Association of Independent Patient Advice (VuP) eV

As of December 31, 2010, the UPD had dealt with more than 250,000 cases. After the model project expired on December 31, 2010 and the transition to the standard power through the aforementioned change in the law, the UPD was reassigned. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds made the decision on January 27, 2011 following a Europe-wide invitation to tender with the participation of the Federal Government's patient commissioner and an advisory board made up of the ministries concerned, patient organizations, scientists and private health insurers. Participation by private health insurers is only possible if they participate in the UPD funding. The UPD was then continued by the bidding consortium of the previous sponsors.

Since 2000, almost unchanged, 5.2 million euros have been available annually for your company to promote patient advice. Since January 1, 2011, this sum also includes the accompanying scientific research. In addition to statutory health insurance , private health insurance will also participate from then on . Since January 1, 2011, an annual adjustment of the funding in the amount of the annual increase in average wages according to Section 18 (1) of Book Four of the Social Code has been planned.

Since January 1, 2016, the health service provider Sanvartis has been advising public and private patients.

Structure and services

The purpose of independent patient advice is to provide health information, advice and education on health and health law issues. The consulting services are free of charge for those seeking advice. There is no distinction between whether they are covered by statutory, private or non-health insurance.

According to the new version of § 65 b SGB V, the services of the UPD should be quality-assured and aim to strengthen patient orientation in the health care system and identify problem areas in the health system. In order to maintain the neutrality and independence of the UPD, according to the law, the National Association of Health Insurance Funds is not allowed to influence the advisory activities. An institution for consumer or patient advice must therefore prove its neutrality and independence in order to be able to receive financial support.

The company is based in Berlin. The UPD has 30 regional advice centers, a nationwide free advice telephone and online advice on the Internet. In addition, three advice vehicles drive through another 100 cities in Germany and also cover other advice centers. There, those seeking advice are given advice and information on health, civil and social law and psychosocial issues. In addition, there are supraregional advisory services on specific topics, such as drug advice, dental competence centers, online advice on eating disorders and cancer information services.

Since February 15, 2011, counseling in Turkish and Russian has been offered for patients with a migration background, which is financed by private health insurance. Native-speaking advice in these two languages ​​is also possible via two nationwide, free hotline numbers.

criticism

Because of the assumption of advice for health insurance and private patients by the health service provider Sanvartis on January 1, 2016, critics fear a loss of the independence of advice by the UPD, since Sanvartis also works for health insurance companies. This criticism was countered with the announcement that the independent and non-profit subsidiary Sanvartis GmbH will be founded for UPD.

On September 21, 2015, two members of the patient advisory board (Marie-Luise Dierks and Rolf Rosenbrock ) resigned in protest .

In August 2018 it became known that Sanvartis including UPD gGmbH had been sold. All companies now belong to the newly founded Sanvartis Careforce Holding GmbH, based in Duisburg. The GmbH has taken over the entire Careforce group. The Association of Independent Patient Counseling (VuP) criticized the fact that the sale had turned "independent patient counseling ... into a farce" and that "private investors enriched themselves with funding for patient counseling and the non-profit nature of the UPD" was in question. Careforce primarily recruits and qualifies pharmaceutical representatives . The Federal Ministry of Health and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds , however, referred to the contracts concluded. These are to be adhered to unchanged even after the sale. According to a Prognos report, the pharmaceutical industry has not yet been able to influence the advisory activity, but the planned number of advisory sessions per time period has not been met. That is why the Spiegel reported in September 2018 that the advisory board for patient advice was thinking about reallocating it to another provider.

literature

  • Independent patient advice: model network launched . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt Online . January 30, 2007 ( aerzteblatt.de [accessed September 22, 2018]).
  • Cornelia Schmergal: betrayal of the patient. Independent patient advice came into the realm of a pharmaceutical service provider . In: Der Spiegel . No. 39 , September 22, 2018, p. 75 .
  • Greta Taubert: ... ask your doctor or the patient advisory service. In: Berliner Zeitung . January 31, 2007, accessed September 4, 2015 .
  • Another dispute over independent patient advice . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt Online . August 30, 2018 ( aerzteblatt.de [accessed September 22, 2018]).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article 1 G. v. December 22, 1999 ( BGBl. I p. 2626 )
  2. ↑ a b c Changes to § 65b SGB V by the AMNOG
  3. ^ Declaration by the Federal Government Commissioner for Patients' Issues of July 22, 2008 on the UPD
  4. ↑ a b Dispute with the health insurance company or doctor: Sometimes it makes sense to seek independent advice, dpa report from January 5th, 2011  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.gkv-spitzenverband.de  
  5. ↑ Press release of January 27, 2011 (PDF; 169 kB)
  6. ↑ a b Sanvartis was awarded the contract in Ärzte-Zeitung-online from September 18, 2015
  7. ↑ a b BAGP PM on the award decision (notification from September 21, 2015)
  8. ↑ a b On-site advice. Retrieved September 22, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Private company takes on patient advice: dispute over independence
  10. ↑ Patient advice : in new hands from 2016 [Stiftung Warentest] from October 5, 2015
  11. ↑ Independent patient advice goes to Sanvartis in Duisburg [WAZ | Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung] on September 11, 2015
  12. ↑ resignations in protest against Sanvartis
  13. ↑ Letter of resignation to the Federal Government's Patient Commissioner, Mr Karl Josef Laumann.pdf ( Memento of the original dated December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vdk.de
  14. ↑ Another dispute over independent patient advice . In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt Online . August 30, 2018 ( aerzteblatt.de [accessed September 22, 2018]).
  15. ↑ Cornelia Schmergal: Betrayal of the patient. Independent patient advice came into the realm of a pharmaceutical service provider . In: Der Spiegel . No. 39 , September 22, 2018, p. 75 .