Zi publishes survey results on medical care centers (MVZ)
05.12.2022 11:15
The substantial shortage of suitable specialists has long since reached outpatient medical care. The approximately 4,200 medical care centers (MVZ) in Germany are also having increasing problems finding qualified medical and non-medical staff. Two thirds of the MVZs surveyed rated the availability of non-medical medical staff as poor to very poor. Three quarters of the MVZ in rural regions came to the same conclusion.
Almost half of the MVZs were confronted with specific problems with specific staff replacements in 2019. The situation is hardly different when it comes to medical staff: More than 60 percent of the MVZs surveyed rated the availability of suitable medical staff as poor to very poor; in rural regions it was even a good 90 percent. Almost a third of the MVZs surveyed had problems with filling medical staff in 2019. The specialty of general surgery was mentioned most frequently.
These are the central results of the Zi-MVZ panel, a survey of around 3,600 eligible MVZs and equivalent facilities according to Sections 95 and 311 SGB V, recently published by the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance (Zi). A total of 214 MVZs nationwide took part in the Zi's online survey between September 2020 and May 2021.
Around 44 percent of the participating facilities were sponsored by a hospital. MVZs supported by contracted physicians accounted for 39 percent. This distribution roughly corresponds to the population and the statistics published by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians for the 2019 reporting year. Almost half of the participating MVZs have their main operations in urban areas, while only 15 percent are located in rural regions.
Another focus of the Zi-MVZ panel was the assessment of the overall economic situation. This showed that around three quarters of the participating MVZs rated their overall situation in 2019 as rather good or good. At 86 percent, MVZs supported by contracted physicians assessed their overall situation as good or rather good significantly more often than MVZs supported by hospitals (64 percent). Overall, just over half of the participating MVZs rated the amount of annual profit as good or rather good. When the type of provider is taken into account, there is a contrasting assessment between MVZs sponsored by hospitals and MVZs: Only 37 percent of the MVZs sponsored by hospitals rated the amount of the annual surplus as good or rather good, while almost three quarters (73 percent) of the MVZs sponsored by contract doctors rated it as good or rather good.
On average, the facilities had total expenses of approximately 1.22 million euros in 2019, of which 822,000 euros were reported as personnel expenses. This corresponds to a median share of personnel expenses in total expenses of 71 percent. In hospital MVZs the proportion was 70 percent, slightly higher than in contract doctor MVZs (65 percent). The median total income of the participating MVZs in 2019 was 1.51 million euros, the income of the statutory health insurance (GKV) was 1.17 million euros. The median share of GKV income in total income was 85.6 percent. In hospital MVZs, the median total income was 1.47 million euros and the median SHI income was 1.15 million euros. For the MVZ contracted doctors, the median total income was 1.64 million euros and the median income for the GKV was 1.23 million euros.
Selective contracts (or contracts for special forms of care) for structured treatment programs in accordance with Section 137f SGB V were concluded by 44 percent of the participating MVZs in the 2019 reporting year. In the 2017 reporting year of the last survey, this value was 56 percent of the participating MVZs. In second place, with 23 percent, is family doctor-centered care in accordance with Section 73b SGB V. Contracts for outpatient specialist medical care (ASV) and integrated care were each concluded by 14 percent of the participating MVZs.
The aim of the Zi-MVZ panel is to create a reliable data basis and transparency on organizational, supply-relevant and economic aspects for MVZs in Germany. The survey is supported by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and in preparation by the Federal Association MVZ eV (BMVZ).