Waiting Lists Called for
Does money determine how quickly you get a surgery date?
A patient survey conducted by the Institute for Secondary Schools confirms that patients were offered the opportunity to shorten their wait time for surgery. Upper Austria’s Chamber of Labor President Andreas Stangl calls it corruption and criticizes the lack of transparency.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen The Upper Austrian Hospital Act stipulates that surgery appointments must be scheduled exclusively on the basis of medical criteria. However, findings from an IHS (Institute for Secondary Education) study suggest that visiting a private practice or making private co-payments also play a role. “Those who pay get seen sooner. This practice of jumping the queue must be abolished,” says Labor Chamber President Andreas Stangl, who advocates that hospitals maintain waiting lists so that every patient can see approximately how long they will have to wait for a procedure.
State policymakers must ensure the transparent implementation of waitlist management. Priority treatment for non-medical reasons must be prohibited.
Bild: Florian Stoellinger
Call for an Independent Complaints Office
In addition, it must be clear how many of these patients are in the premium care category. “This overview should show the actual wait times by type of surgery, location, and specialty, as well as the number of patients on the waiting list, including a breakdown by urgency, and be updated monthly,” says Stangl. He also calls for an independent complaints office to which people can turn in the event of irregularities regarding wait times.
The study surveyed 810 people who had undergone surgery at a public hospital or religious-run hospital in the past three years. 13.1 percent reported that they were offered the option to shorten their wait time by visiting a private practice. 6.1 percent accepted the offer. 9.1 percent were offered the option to shorten their wait time by making a private co-payment. “That is clearly corruption,” said Stangl.
Tilman Königswieser, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Upper Austrian Health Holding, on the allegations in the IHS study: “For me, selling surgery appointments is an absolute no-go. If that were the case, it would be investigated and there would be consequences.”
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