Doctors warn that new appointment rules could lengthen waiting times for insured patients

Statutory-insured patients already face long waits for doctor visits, and new legislation may deepen the issue, according to Andreas Gassen, head of the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung. He explained that the reform mandates practices to report a fixed quota of open appointments, which will lock those slots and prevent them from being used flexibly. Gassen criticized recent reductions in outpatient-care funding, saying they have already eliminated many appointments.

He emphasized that only additional money for ambulatory services can generate more slots. The law, passed by the Bundestag, also revises the existing reporting system, requiring contract physicians to submit appointment numbers determined jointly with the Landesverbände der Kranken- und Ersatzkassen to the Terminservicestelle.