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High costs for ambulances in North Rhine-Westphalia: BVTM proposes a round table on medical transport.
The BVTM calls for a nationwide round table 'Medical Journeys NRW' in light of the current discussions in North Rhine-Westphalia about rising costs in the emergency medical service. The reason is media reports about plans by the city of Essen to impose high co-payments for emergency and patient transports in the future. According to the plan, 267 euros for emergency transports and 62 euros for patient transports are envisaged. This is justified by the lack of coverage for so-called Fehlfahrten by the health insurance funds. The BVTM explicitly warns of the consequences of such regulations for patients.
"High co-payments can lead to people, fearing costs, to request urgently needed medical help too late or not at all," says Michael Oppermann, Managing Director of BVTM. "That is dangerous and cannot be the right answer to structural problems in the emergency medical service."
Municipalities warn of rising costs
At the same time, the debate shows that North Rhine-Westphalia urgently needs better solutions for medical transport. Emergency services have been under heavy strain for years. It is undisputed that many missions are medically justifiable, but do not require emergency ambulance care. Often, patients call the emergency services out of uncertainty or because of long waits for medical help.
For precisely these cases, the taxi and rental-car industry is ready. It already handles today the largest part of non-emergency medical transport in Germany. As early as 2020, around 80 percent of all medical trips were carried out by taxis and rental cars. Emergency and patient transport vehicles each accounted for only about ten percent. Health insurance funds also confirm that many trips could be made without medical accompaniment.
“The taxi- and rental-car industry is already a key pillar of medical care today, but could do even more and make an important contribution to relieving the burden on emergency services,” emphasizes Oppermann.
Bureaucracy complicates the situation
The prudent use of these resources, however, often fails due to bureaucratic requirements. For trips to outpatient treatments, in many cases prior authorization from health insurance providers is necessary. This applies even when doctors determine there is an urgent treatment need. In practice, this leads patients to call an ambulance in case of doubt.
“The system creates the wrong incentives and exacerbates the overburdening of the emergency services,” Oppermann criticizes.
The Taxi Association therefore calls for a Round Table “Medical Trips NRW.” There, health insurance funds, the patient advocate, social associations, municipalities, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the taxi and rental-car industry should jointly develop solutions. The goal is patient-centered care, relief for the emergency services, and a sensible handling of costs.
“We need solutions that serve the interests of patients. These solutions exist,” says Oppermann. “The taxi and rental-car industry can support wherever no medical accompaniment is required.”
The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars is, Oppermann continues, always available for constructive and solution-focused discussions.
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