KVG: Parliament allows exceptions to licensing for outpatient pediatric medicine

On January 1, 2022, revised licensing conditions for outpatient doctors came into force in the Health Insurance Act (KVG). For example, they must have worked for at least three years in a recognized Swiss inpatient training facility in order to obtain a license. The new regulations have made it even more difficult to find a successor for outpatient doctors. In particular, experienced specialists from abroad were no longer prepared to spend three years in a hospital before they could take over an outpatient practice. As part of the mandate of the expert group on pediatric and adolescent medicine, Köhler, Stüdeli & Partner lobbied Parliament for an exemption for general practitioners, pediatricians and child and adolescent psychiatrists. In the event of proven underuse, the cantons can now authorize service providers who do not meet the three-year activity requirement pursuant to Article 37 paragraph 1 KVG to bill the OKP. The new regulation in parliament was possible because the supply situation had deteriorated rapidly, particularly in rural regions. Many council members could not understand why some of the doctors’ groups concerned had spoken out against the regulation and thus against the interests of patients. The revised Health Insurance Act came into force on March 18, 2023 as a matter of urgency and for a limited period until December 31, 2027. The expert group on pediatric and adolescent medicine advocates a definitive solution. Exceptions should not only be possible in the event of a proven shortage, but generally in the event of an imminent shortage. Final voting text

Köhler, Stüdeli & Partner GmbH
Amthausgasse 18
3011 Bern
+41 31 560 00 24
info@koest.ch

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The agency is located in the old town of Bern at Amthausgasse 18. The entrance is in Amthausgässchen (4th floor), to the side of the Diagonal restaurant.

Köhler, Stüdeli & Partner GmbH can be reached in a few minutes on foot from Bern main station (Schauplatzgasse-Bundesplatz-Amthausgasse).

The Casino parking lot at the Hotel Bellevue is in the immediate vicinity.
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) is located directly opposite (Inselgasse).

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