In Austria, twice as much magnetic resonance and computer tomography as in Finland are made. This not only costs the health system a lot of money and extended waiting times, it is also unhealthy. The ÖGK will conduct research for approval in the future, but the approval will not be granted as before by the main doctor, but will be performed electronically.
“We have the information from experts that every fourth CT and MRI research is medically interrogated,” says Ögk boss Peter McDonald in the “Krone” interview. Brand -New Studies also show that the oversupply of CT could activate one of the 20 new cancer cases.
“Of course we do not want to reduce medically necessary services, but those who are not necessary from a scientific point of view. This saves unnecessary costs and the physical burden of such an investigation. And it makes device capacities free for important cases, for example in the diagnosis of cancer.” This has the positive effect that you get a research date faster. The costs for such investigations are several hundred euros.
The approval system is intended to give priority, so that urgent cases such as potential cancer patients quickly come to an investigation. “The electronic approval system has been developed into harmony with the scientific guidelines for a tool for radiological orientation. The goal is by the end of the year.” Then there must also be a permit system for physiotherapy.
Savings also in the system itself
This year, the Health Insurance Fund predicts a minus of 900 million euros. “Especially economic difficult times show that we have to act to keep health insurance financially. On the one hand we have to save money where it is possible without reducing medically necessary services. We have selected topics precisely under the aspect.” Saving must be in particular in the system, and 200 fully equivalents in the administration have been reduced since the start of the merger and ten percent of the administrative areas have been reduced.
Development also crawled in when it comes to patient transport, which must be regulated again. There are cost increases of 60 percent here. “We must take a good look at which transports are medically necessary. A 16-year-old with a placed arm does not have to be brought with the transport of the patient.”
“Doctor Ögk” instead of “Doctor Google”
But it must also be “built on the future” when creating a digital tool that “Doctor Google” should replace. “We want a kind of doctor Ögk” where patients can get quality at any time. ” There you can enter the symptoms and then receive advice about what you can do best. “You don’t always have to go to the doctor right away, but there are also situations where you can get help to help you go to the pharmacy or perhaps take other measures yourself. We also want to create the possibility to call on your mobile phone within 30 minutes. This is already common in other areas of life you can become active via digital apps or via or video telephony.”
There are new but expensive medication for Alzheimer’s and cancer
McDonald not only wants to renovate the finances of the fund, but also build reserves in the future to be able to invest. “People become older and older people need more medical performance. That means that the costs will rise automatically, we have enormous medical progress that we want to make accessible to all the insured persons. For example, the latest medication against Alzheimer’s and cancer. We want to keep top medicine for E-card for everyone, so we have to look at money.”
Eleven healthy years more than in Austria
“Moreover, we are in the last third in the last third in Europe in the last third, which means that we have the need to catch up and of course in cancer prevention. The leaders in Europe have more eleven years of life than the Austrian. The goal is to reduce every Austrian and every Austrian for three healthy years,” said the Ögk boss. That is why facility must be a different future focus.
“Nearly 50 percent of health determines everyone through their behavior and is not determined by genetics, social and environmental criteria. We want to create stimulation systems that healthy people do preventive studies and take more responsibility for their health.”
The aim must also be to halve the cancer in the medium term through structured cancer screening. While 53 percent of women are now decreasing breast cancer research, it is only two percent in the screening of colon cancer.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
