Federal Dental Association
Berlin (ots)
The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (KZBV) and the Federal Dental Association (BZÄK) find clear words for lobbying by investors and their associations
The dental profession is a liberal profession for good reason. Only dentists who are free to decide which individual therapy is necessary can guarantee patients treatment that meets their needs and desires. The freelance dentists are geared to the need for care and not to the economically motivated return targets of third parties.
For years, private equity companies and other large financial investors have been penetrating contract dental care, often buying up small and dilapidated hospitals, only to use them as a legally required vehicle for founding investor-supported MVZ (iMVZ) and large iMVZ chains to use. The dynamic is enormous: the share of iMVZ in all dental MVZs is now 29 percent (3rd quarter of 2022) – and the trend is rising. With their one-sided focus on quickly maximizing profits, iMVZ pose a significant threat to the quality of care, patient well-being and the security of care as a whole, which, among other things, is confirmed by an expert opinion by the IGES-Institutes is occupied.
We therefore emphatically welcome the clear words of the Federal Minister of Health against iMVZ: The Minister has announced, to put a stop to the buying up of practices by investors with absolute greed for profit and to present a draft law in a timely manner that prevents the entry of locusts and the absurd profit concepts of investors. Incidentally, large parts of the medical profession and the federal states, who are concerned about the Health Ministers Conference have been campaigning for effective legal instruments against iMVZ for years.
Against this background, it is hardly surprising that the investor lobby is increasingly getting cold feet and is sending out its associations to signal an alleged concession with alibi proposals for “transparency”. In fact, it is all about softening the political debate and preventing effective measures in the interests of patient care.
At the same time, no one should be under the illusion that “transparency” is anything more than a completely blunt sword in patient protection. In order to get to the root of the considerable dangers to patient care, a steadfast policy is now needed, which will result in clear legal requirements against the unchecked spread of iMVZ on the way:
In the future, when a hospital establishes dental medical care centers, there should be a spatial and technical (dental) connection to the supporting hospital.
It cannot be that a small orthopedic rehabilitation clinic in Baden-Württemberg used as a “founding vehicle” e.g. B. operates a chain of dental practices in northern Germany.
Furthermore, proposed changes in the area of dentistry law represent an additional possibility to ensure that external investors with exclusive capital interests are excluded from the establishment and operation of dental medical care centers.
Politicians must not make the mistake of falling for the “softener tactics” of the investor representatives and taking their empty phrases at face value. There will be no end to the gold rush mood in the investor sector without geographical and technical limitations on the founding authority for hospitals.
Press contact:
KZBV: Press and Public Relations Department
Phone: 030 280 179-27, E-Mail: [email protected]
BZÄK: Dipl.-Des. Jette Krämer-Götte
Phone: 030 40005-150, E-Mail: [email protected]
Original content from: Bundeszahnärztekammer, transmitted by news aktuell