Head of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians Proposes Faster Specialist Appointments for Urgent Cases

Andreas Gassen, the head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, has stated that specialist appointments could be provided within one week for objectively medically urgent cases. Gassen told the Bild newspaper that this would be feasible provided there is corresponding compensation for the medical practices. He suggested that urgency could be verified via referrals from general practitioners or through the 116 117 medical on call service.

While Gassen is open to this limited arrangement, he rejected a general legal guarantee for specialist appointments, citing a lack of capacity. This proposal comes amid a political dispute involving the German government. The SPD has linked its approval of other health policy measures, including changes to sick leave reporting, to the introduction of a guarantee for specialist appointments. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch had previously mentioned a three week deadline for such appointments.

Government data from 2024 indicates that the average waiting time for statutory insured patients at specialist practices was 42 days. The center left source frames the situation as a dispute over guarantees and highlights SPD criticisms that privately insured patients currently receive preferential treatment. In contrast, the center right source frames the story as a potential improvement in healthcare delivery, focusing on the possibility of faster access for those in need.