Austrian doctors oppose hospital outpatient fee removal
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Calls to remove hospital outpatient treatment fees (Ambulanzgebuhr), payable by the patient and then reimbursed by the sickness funds, have been rejected out of hand by the Austrian doctors' chamber (OAK). The Ambulanzgebuhr, which amounts to Sch250 ($16) or Sch150 with a GP referral per case, was introduced by the federal government in April, in an effort to control the number of patients seeking treatment in hospitals. "We had hoped that the introduction of such a measure would encourage people to opt for treatment from a GP, as this would save money for both the patient and the social state," a spokesperson for the ministry of health told Clinica.