Law against doctor shortage: Financial incentives alone are not enough

02.12.2011 11:15

The German Bundestag has passed a law to improve medical care in rural areas. This includes financial incentives for physicians to establish new practices or take over existing ones in underserved regions. However, more money alone will not solve the shortage of doctors in rural areas. Municipalities, health insurance funds, and associations of statutory health insurance physicians must also work together with doctors and hospitals to improve care. Close cooperation and coordination among all stakeholders in the healthcare system is essential, as market research by Steria Mummert Consulting demonstrates.

„Financial incentives are only one step in the right direction. At the same time, all stakeholders must pull together, because only a joint effort will be able to solve the problems of medical care in rural areas,“ says Steffen Stumpf, healthcare expert at Steria Mummert Consulting. „Because one party alone can only ever solve one aspect of the problem of inadequate care. A coordinated approach leads to better and also more cost-effective solutions.“

In the future, all stakeholders will face greater demands than before. For example, municipalities will have the option of operating their own facilities to ensure the immediate medical care of insured individuals. Hospitals will also no longer be exclusively involved in specialist medical care, but can increasingly provide outpatient services as soon as a need is identified.

A coordinated approach to rural healthcare provision should also include networked communication channels. Differing IT systems used by doctors, hospitals, or municipalities complicate care and hinder transparency. "Here, it's crucial to find joint solutions that minimize bureaucratic effort while ensuring high data security and simultaneously reducing costs," said Stumpf.