Contract Doctor Law Amendment Act
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Law amending contract doctor law and other laws |
| Short title: | Contract Doctor Law Amendment Act |
| Abbreviation: | VÄndG |
| Type: | Federal law |
| Scope: | Federal Republic of Germany |
| Legal matter: | Social security law |
| Issued on: | December 22, 2006 ( BGBl. I p. 3439 ) |
| Entry into force on: | January 1, 2007 |
| Weblink: | Text of the law |
| Please note the note on the applicable legal version. | |
The Contract Doctor Law Amendment Act is a German law that modifies the legal framework under which contract doctors are allowed to work in Germany. The VÄndG was passed by the German Bundestag on October 27, 2006 and has been in force since January 1, 2007.
background
According to the will of the legislature, the statutory health insurance law amendment law is intended to make the practice of statutory health insurance more efficient and more competitive. The main motivation of the law is to avoid supply bottlenecks in outpatient medical care, especially in the new federal states.
Regulations
The provisions of the VÄndG relate, among other things, to the fifth book of the Social Code (SGB V), the licensing regulations for contract doctors and the licensing regulations for contract dentists .
Employment of doctors in contracted medical practices
The employment opportunities for doctors and dentists are made easier. In non-blocked planning areas, doctors and dentists can be employed by the practice owner without the usual performance restrictions. In closed planning areas, a contract doctor can waive his license in order to be employed by another contract doctor.
Granting partial approvals
A contract doctor can limit his contract doctor activity to half of his working hours, ie apply for a so-called partial license, both when he is first admitted and later. A later full approval is still possible - but only if the planning area is then not blocked for approvals.
Partial approval was only introduced on January 1, 2007. Until then, the scope of medical services in Germany could only be limited for employed doctors, in the form of part-time employment.
Simultaneous work as a hospital doctor and contract doctor
In addition to being a contract doctor, a contract doctor can also work as an employed doctor in a hospital or rehabilitation facility . However, these secondary occupations may not exceed thirteen hours per week.
Branch practices
The management of a branch practice ("subsidiary establishment") is made easier. A contract doctor can work at a maximum of two locations outside his office and also employ doctors there. Approval for a branch practice depends on whether it improves the local care and does not affect the care at the main practice. Branch practices can also be operated outside of your own KV area .
Outsourced practice rooms
A contract doctor can provide special examination and treatment services in outsourced practice rooms at another location. The business premises must be in close proximity to the practice headquarters. The KV must be informed of the place and time of commencement of the activity.
Professional association
In order to set up a professional association (until December 31, 2006: “group practice”), doctors no longer have to settle down in one place in a joint practice. A professional community can also supra-regional, z. B. take place across national borders or are only formed for part of the medical services. Partial professional associations with doctors who are only allowed to work on referral are, however, not permitted.
Abolition of the age restriction
In underserved areas, a contract doctor can continue his license beyond the age of 68. Doctors older than 55 years of age at the time of application can also be licensed in these areas.
Medical care centers
The VÄndG clarifies the conditions under which the "interdisciplinary" feature is met when establishing an MVZ . According to this, the characteristic "interdisciplinary" also applies when doctors with a different focus or doctors from different care areas (e.g. internal specialist and internal family doctor ) join forces.
fees
As a result of the amendment to the Social Court Act (Art. 4), the abusive plaintiff is threatened with a fee according to Section 184 (2) SGG in return for notices about the practice fee . In Articles 5 and 6, the fees for the procedure and administration of applications for authorization for doctors and dentists have been increased fourfold. With the repeal of the Sixth Fee Adjustment Ordinance (Art. 7), the fees according to the fee regulations for doctors, dentists, midwives and psychotherapists in the acceding area will be raised to the level in the rest of Germany.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Partial admission - part-time freelance work? In: Bayerisches Ärzteblatt 2/2007. Retrieved September 8, 2018 . Pp. 84-85.
| This text is based in whole or in part on the entry of the Contract Doctor Law Amendment Act in Flexikon , a wiki from DocCheck . The takeover took place on March 21, 2007 under the then valid GNU license for free documentation . |