Skip to content
Business — Consolidate — Science — Brunner — Finance — Austria — Health-and-wellness — Ögk — Insurance — Medical-conditions

ÖGK intends to conduct a large-scale pyrotechnics training program.

Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) to Implement Cost-Saving Measures Due to Rising Deficit, Effective from Tuesday.

,   and  Administrator
3 min read

ÖGK intends to conduct a large-scale pyrotechnics training program.

Blueprint for Austrian Healthcare overhaul: A financial crisis management guide

Amidst mounting deficits, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is plotting a course to financial recovery, with a progressive agenda poised to redefine healthcare delivery. The hard-hitting decisions, ranging from internal restructuring to strategic partnerships, seek balance in the budget by 2026, if achievable.

Here's a lowdown on the major measures underway, which blend the wisdom of the Austrian Medical Chamber and the strategic vision of the ÖGK:

The Austrian Medical Chamber's Game-changing plan:

  1. Bring in a Financial Crisis Maven: An external crisis manager to oversee the financial turnaround.
  2. Real Estate Facelift: Optimizing real estate strategy, as advocated by the Court of Auditors.
  3. Purge Underperformers: Reviewing and closing down unproductive ÖGK facilities.
  4. Hold the Pause Button: Temporarily halting the development of new outpatient clinics.
  5. Brighten Up Recruitment: Upholding transparency in recruitment processes for top-tier positions.
  6. Transfer Power to Pension Insurance: Delegating rehabilitation facilities to the Pension Insurance Authority to avert redundancy.
  7. Consolidate IT Strength: Amalgamating IT services across healthcare organizations.
  8. Guard the Fort: Strengthening oversight to deter mismanagement.
  9. Financial Audit Blitz: Conducting thorough, coordinated audits for procurement and shared IT services.
  10. Reassess Funding: Evaluating temporary adjustments to government funding and other financing strategies[1][2].

ÖGK's Meeting of the Minds:

  1. Streamline Administrative Expenditure: Minimizing administrative expenses, despite their minor contribution to total outlays.
  2. Bargain Power: Engaging with physicians to manage unnecessary services.
  3. Telescope Medicine: Bolstering telemedicine and specialty care models for smoother outpatient care.
  4. Split the Cost with Federals: Sharing expenses for new outpatient initiatives with the federal states.
  5. Focus on Preventive Maintenance: Increasing investments in preventive healthcare, in partnership with the Minister of Social Affairs and Health.
  6. All-encompassing Contract: Negotiating a comprehensive physician contract to revamp service provisions and costs[3].

The ÖGK's board meeting is slated for Tuesday morning, with a follow-up general assembly in the afternoon. Vital decisions are on the horizon, though it remains a mystery when ordinary citizens will bear the brunt of these reforms. Cost-cutting measures may extend to expensive diagnostic procedures like CT and MRI scans, or ambulance services. The fund is also expecting concessions from contract partners like general practitioners and federal states. Shrinking investments and leaving every second pension position vacant are further methods aimed at plugging the gaping deficit. Preliminary forecasts reveal ÖGK anticipates a deficit of 906 million euros for this year[4]. Chairman Peter McDonald (ÖVP) and his co-chair Andreas Huss (SPÖ) plan to restore the fund to a sound financial state by 2026, if feasible.

[1] https://www.krone.at/wirtschaft/oesterreich/oesk-selbsthilfe-auskunft-ab-dienstag-kann-die-oe-k-die-krise-zumuten-102633784[2] https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000147432971/oesk-weitet-mit-gab-konsolidierung-augenblicklich-fand-keine-sparmaessnahmen[3] https://www.krone.at/wirtschaft/oesterreich/vorsorge-wheel-deal-östereichs-public-health-carer-new-physician-contract-1026191838[4] https://www.sueddeutsche.at/wirtschaft/oesterreich-oesk-defizit-fou-2022-waedish-kreuzungsgassy-euro-waehlt-mitarweter-freiwillig-ab-100579590.html

  1. To achieve the economic and monetary union, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is consolidating its financial situation by implementing a progressive agenda inspired by the Austrian Medical Chamber, with measures such as streamlining administrative expenditure and engaging in telemedicine.
  2. The Austrian Medical Chamber's strategy includes transferring rehabilitation facilities to the Pension Insurance Authority and conducting thorough financial audits, aiming to minimize mismanagement and optimize real estate.
  3. Simultaneously, the ÖGK is exploring possibilities to share costs for new outpatient initiatives with federal states and increase investments in preventive healthcare.
  4. Science and medical-conditions are being integrated into the healthcare reform through the Negotiating a comprehensive physician contract to revamp service provisions and costs and bolstering specialty care models for smoother outpatient care.
  5. The business landscape is impacted by these reforms, with potential concessions from contract partners like general practitioners and the possibility of cutbacks in expensive diagnostic procedures and ambulance services to address the deficit.
Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) to Enact Cost-Saving Measures Due to Escalating Deficit, Commencing Tuesday.

Read also:

    Related

    Latest