Dispute over emergency services: Bottrop patients face high costs!

Dispute over emergency services: Bottrop patients face high costs!

In Bottrop there is a lot of activity in the emergency services, and there is something in the air that could have a serious impact on patients. The dispute between the health insurance companies and the municipalities revolves around the financing of rescue operations, and this has already made its first waves. Loud Radio Emscher Lippe It could happen that patients are asked to pay for certain incorrect trips. This particularly applies to operations in which emergency services provide treatment on site without requiring hospitalization.

In the course of these tensions, it turns out that the city of Bottrop, as the provider of the rescue service, is unable to cover the costs due to its strained budget situation. The amount in dispute amounts to at least 1.4 million euros annually, which makes the need for an amicable solution all the more urgent. So far, the costs of ambulance calls, which cost 859 euros in Bottrop, and emergency doctor calls, which cost 880 euros, have been covered by health insurance companies. But now the health insurance companies are refusing to continue these payments bottrop.de is reported.

The background of the conflict

What is behind the conflicts? It's about the legal framework: According to the Social Code (SGB) V, § 60, operations that lead to hospital transport must be subsidized by the health insurance companies. However, incorrect trips where no transport takes place are not included. In a report by Come on It becomes clear that a total of 5,771 ambulance missions took place in the Volmetal in 2024, with one in five of these missions being seen as a failed trip. This means that the health insurance companies want to save a lot of money here.

These incorrect journeys can occur for various reasons, for example if the patient refuses to travel or if adequate medical care is provided on site. This can be underlined by the fact that there will no longer be any automatic reimbursement of costs for such operations in the Märkischer Kreis from January 1, 2025, which could further aggravate the situation.

Impact on patients

The consequences of this dispute can quickly become noticeable for citizens. If the city actually has to issue invoices to patients, this could pose a significant financial burden for many. In the Märkisches Kreis, rescue experts have already called for caution: Operations should not be dismissed as “unnecessary” because they often help to relieve the burden on the health system. It remains to be seen how the negotiations on cost compensation will progress and what solutions will be found so that patients are ultimately not left out in the cold.

In the meantime, it remains important that affected citizens are informed so that they are prepared in an emergency and know what to expect. The dispute is a problem that affects everyone and could lead to a lot of discussion.