A NEW ORDER; Karmen Joller talks about how she will be able to see a specialist in the future

What do you think of the new system?

From the article quoted in summary:

From 2027, the procedure for accessing several specialists will change significantly. If until now the patient has been able to search for and book free appointments in the digital registry, in the future this possibility will disappear. Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller explains how the new system will actually work and what happens if the patient does not agree with the doctor’s decision.

The plan approved by the government means that, for example, in order to get an appointment with a psychiatrist or cardiologist, the family doctor will have to make an e-consultation request to the treatment facility. The specialist first assesses the patient’s concerns based on the digital history data. If a specialist doctor finds that a person needs an appointment, the patient does not have to call anywhere, but the treatment facility will contact him. However, if admission is not considered necessary, instructions for further treatment are given to the family doctor.

Statistics show that in many cases the patient does not need to see a specialist after an e-consultation. For example, 2,003 e-consultations have been made in psychiatry this year, of which in more than half (1,055) cases the psychiatrist’s advice to the family doctor was sufficient. This inevitably raises the question: Can already overburdened and understaffed GPs cope with the referrals?

Minister of Social Affairs and experienced family doctor Karmen Joller emphasizes that simpler cases can already be treated by family doctors and consultation with colleagues is important. “I would not underestimate our family doctors, who are also very widely and thoroughly trained specialists in their field, who have knowledge from psychiatry to gynecology and surgery, among other things,” confirmed Joller.