The mood among Germany’s doctors is tense. More than half have even considered quitting in the past two years. The causes are manifold. But there is also reason for hope.
The state of emergency in healthcare is now the new normal. In addition to well-known problems such as the high workload, time-consuming administrative tasks and the never-ending trouble with the telematics infrastructure (TI), there are now the after-effects of the corona pandemic, rising energy costs and the increasingly noticeable shortage of skilled workers.
This accumulation of existential problems is increasingly getting on the minds of doctors. This is confirmed by a current online survey by the internet portal Medizinio.
administration costs too high
However, the biggest frustration factor in everyday work has nothing to do with current crises, but goes back to a phenomenon that has (unfortunately) been known for a long time: the German tendency towards excessive bureaucracy. For 86% of the professionals surveyed, excessive administrative tasks in practices and clinics are a nuisance. This means that the bureaucracy is once again in the sad first place when it comes to points of criticism.
Problems with digitization and TI
But the sluggish and poorly organized digitization offensive is also causing problems for doctors. Electronic offers such as eRezept, eAU and eHBA cause additional problems for 68%. As so often, problems with the telematics infrastructure make it to third place on the negative list. After all, half of those surveyed suffer from them. One survey participant describes the problems as follows: “Daily crashes, non-working technology; readers that crash; Software that takes twice as long as before. That costs money, nerves and causes around 1.5 hours of extra work per day.”
TI is closely followed as a frustration factor by the practice management software and the shortage of skilled workers. Both make day-to-day practice much more complex and represent an enormous burden for the entire team. A widespread phenomenon, for example, is that at least one of the (few) MFAs spends most of their working day on the phone to process the constant stream of patient questions. As a result, other important areas of responsibility are almost inevitably neglected. The result is frustration and/or overtime.
Blessings and curses of digitization
But there is also good news. Many practices may also struggle with TI and individual digital applications – the new technologies offer valuable relief elsewhere. With good reason, for example, more and more practices are offering their patients the option of booking appointments online in order to relieve the team on the phone. It is also conceivable to outsource the telephone work to an external provider. In this case, however, strict data protection regulations must be observed.
The use of external billing offices is also worth considering. Although they are not exactly cheap, they ensure that cash flows can be planned and also relieve the practice staff.