The professional associations and specialized societies in the field of laboratory diagnostics are urgently calling for a comprehensive review and correction of the valuations assigned to medical laboratory examinations within the draft of the new Fee Schedule for Physicians (GOÄ). These associations stated in Berlin on Wednesday that the proposed 34% devaluation of medical laboratory diagnostics is “economically unsustainable” for specialist laboratories. A formal statement detailing these concerns was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health on September 10 and has now been released publicly.
This influential Taskforce is comprised of several major professional groups, including the Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM), the Professional Association of Physicians for Microbiology, Virology, and Infection Epidemiology (BÄMI), the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM), the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL), and the Society for Virology (GfV).
The concerns of the specialist laboratories are reinforced by an expert report from the Scientific Institute for Health Economics and Health System Research (WIG2). This analysis revealed a conflicting trend between the planned reimbursement developments and the steadily increasing costs incurred by the laboratories. Given the potentially “far-reaching” economic consequences of these fee adjustments, the associations insist that the underlying data and calculation models must be made public to allow for a systemic impact assessment before the new fee schedule takes effect.
Furthermore, the associations and societies are demanding a foundational overhaul of Chapter M of the GOÄ. They argue that calculation methodologies and impact assessments must be disclosed, and that the services themselves should be reevaluated from a business and operational perspective. Michael Müller, Chairman of the ALM, suggested that by addressing existing structural shortcomings, savings could be generated, which should then be utilized to properly value the services. He added that by taking this approach, the Task Force’s proposals for private health insurance (PKV) and auxiliary coverage could largely be implemented without being ultimately challenged by the overall GOÄ reform.
