“Comprehensive care for stoma patients is at acute risk”
20.11.2019 13:09
According to the “Quality of Life Factor” initiative, the DAK-Gesundheit accession agreements, which were concluded under extreme time pressure, are not suitable for ensuring nationwide care of sufficient quality for the 14,000 affected ostomates. Currently, new patients are also falling into a supply gap.
“Under these conditions, acceptable care for all patients from Flensburg to Berchtesgaden is practically impossible,” says Klaus Grunau from the “Quality of Life Factor” initiative. “These do not allow appropriate care for those affected. Patients are once again unsettled and burdened.”
The renewed negotiations between health insurance companies and service providers - such as homecare companies or medical supply stores - became necessary after the ban on tendering in the sensitive and particularly service-intensive area of stoma care. The ban has been in effect since May 2019. A transition period gave health insurance companies and service providers until December 1st to agree on new supply contracts for the provision of medical aids.
Patient representatives fear massive losses in quality and additional payments
DAK-Gesundheit was the only health insurance company that had not concluded any new contracts with providers three weeks before the deadline. In mid-November, the health insurance company announced that it had agreed on a regulation with two nationwide and some regional providers. However, experts believe that the agreed framework conditions are not appropriate and expect significant deficits in the quality of care.
“Quality of Life Factor” calls for mandatory contract controlling
From the point of view of the “Quality of Life Factor” initiative, in order to ensure comprehensive coverage, it is now important for the DAK to review the contract. Only through consistent monitoring of compliance with the contents of the contract is it possible to counteract undesirable developments and, if necessary, to tighten the framework conditions again.