(de-news.net) – Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has emphasized her intention to secure a swift consensus on introducing a legislative reform designed to spare chronically ill patients from routine physician appointments undertaken solely to renew prescriptions. According to media accounts, she maintained that such adjustments were warranted in light of the healthcare system’s constrained capacity, arguing that minimizing avoidable consultations would contribute to more efficient allocation of medical resources. By reducing both unnecessary physician–patient contacts and the waiting times associated with them, the reform is expected to alleviate structural pressures on outpatient care while improving overall system functionality.

Proposal would shift chronic care toward long-term reimbursement framework

A central pillar of the proposed initiative is the planned removal of the current quarterly billing structure that governs the management of chronic illness within the statutory healthcare framework. Under the revised model, general practitioners would be authorized to bill a flat-rate reimbursement covering periods of up to one year for patients whose conditions require only limited clinical oversight. This shift is intended to replace the existing administrative logic, under which patients are frequently scheduled for recurring visits primarily to satisfy billing requirements. In practical terms, the reform is anticipated to substantially reduce such routine appointments, thereby enabling care delivery to more closely reflect medical necessity rather than reimbursement cycles, while also reinforcing continuity and proportionality in patient management.

Nevertheless, the concrete operational parameters of the reform have not yet been finalized and remain subject to institutional negotiation. Before the measure can be formally adopted and implemented, a joint decision-making body composed of representatives from statutory health insurers and contracted physicians must reach agreement on the specific regulatory procedures and technical modalities governing its execution. This consultative process will determine how the revised billing mechanism is integrated into existing administrative and reimbursement structures, thereby ensuring that the legislative change can be translated into effective practice within the broader healthcare system.