The German Society for Pain Medicine (DGS) has sharply criticized the planned savings in the draft bill for the Statutory Health Insurance Contribution Rate Stabilization Act. According to the association, the cuts endanger the outpatient care of people with chronic pain in the long term.

Chronic pain patients require continuous, time-consuming and multi-professional treatment. A financial cap in the outpatient sector would inevitably lead to service restrictions. The DGS is particularly critical of the planned abolition of fee incentives from the Appointment Service and Supply Act (TSVG). These incentives would have contributed to better appointments. Their deletion increases the risk of chronification due to delayed diagnostics and therapy.

The professional society also fears that practices will react to the savings with staff reductions or reduced services, resulting in longer waiting times. Short-term psychotherapeutic interventions, preventive services and structured counselling services that prevent chronification processes and help to detect comorbidities at an early stage are also affected.

“The cost-cutting measures hit the patient group that most urgently needs stable care structures,” explained DGS President Dr. Richard Ibrahim. Outpatient pain medicine needs sustainable financing, multi-professional teams, less bureaucracy and a clear prioritization of chronically ill patients. This is the only way to ensure quality of life, social participation and the avoidance of inpatient treatment.

With 4,035 members, 16 regional associations and 123 pain centres, the DGS is the leading professional society for the care of people with chronic pain.

Read Also:

Leipzig University Hospital uses capsaicin patches for the treatment of chronic nerve pain – MedLabPortal

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.