Federal Association of Contract Psychotherapists (bvvp) supports KBV crisis meeting for the future of outpatient care
17.08.2023 15:35
On Friday, August 18th, on the initiative of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), representatives of the medical and psychotherapist profession will meet for a crisis meeting in Berlin. The event is intended to make it clear to those responsible for politics that the framework conditions for outpatient care are becoming increasingly difficult and that there is a risk that a massive supply problem will arise in the future. The Federal Association of Contracted Psychotherapists, bvvp, expressly declares its solidarity with the organizers and the professional political activists of the KVs and calls for the inclusion of medical and psychotherapeutic expertise in the various legal initiatives.
“It’s burning!” said Benedikt Waldherr, bvvp federal chairman. He emphasizes: “Good outpatient care for patients with mental illnesses can only be designed together. Therefore, in addition to good general conditions, a sufficient number of practicing psychotherapists and the availability of family doctors and P-specialists close to home are essential. The rule over those who are supposed to implement everything in the end must come to an end!”
If the digitization laws that have been introduced have to be changed again after just a few years because, for example, it is not possible for doctors and psychotherapists to implement them, then as an experienced politician you have to think about it, he said bvvp chairwoman.
The bvvp also calls for a sufficient number of outpatient training places for all specialist groups with sufficient financing of the additional costs. This applies in particular to the new outpatient training for future specialist psychotherapists, for which there is currently no funding basis. The bureaucratic effort in practices must be reduced and digitalization must work and provide real added value for care. Psychotherapists do not currently use the telematics infrastructure, but it costs valuable time that is missing from patient care.
Psychotherapeutic practices also felt the effects of inflation, and the remuneration for services must compensate for the loss of purchasing power and fully cover the increases in practice costs. In addition, the amount of remuneration is based on the income of the somatic specialists providing primary care, so that their economic hardship has a direct influence on the psychotherapists and their economic situation.
“It astounds me how little appreciation politicians and especially the Federal Ministry of Health currently have for the health insurance system and the residents,” says Dipl.-Psych. Ulrike Böker, board member of the bvvp and member of the KBV representative assembly: “Outpatient care close to home in psychotherapeutic and medical practices is an important pillar of social peace and must not be jeopardized carelessly and irresponsibly. Social peace is in great danger anyway!”
The association concludes that it is now high time to combine the forces of self-administration and politics to ensure outpatient care.
To the background:
Members of the 17 regional representative assemblies, the advisory committees of the KBV, representatives of professional associations as well as doctors and psychotherapists working in practices are also expected to attend the crisis meeting of the KBV representative assembly under the motto #PraxenKollaps. The event is public. It takes place at the JW Marriott Hotel Berlin at Stauffenbergstrasse 25 in 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten. Starts at 11 a.m. (Source KBV)