The German Radiological Society (DRG) has raised concerns that two recent court judgments could have serious consequences for patient care and the medical profession.
Last year, the Bavarian Supreme Regional Court and the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main ruled that attending courses are sufficient as proof of qualification for doctors to perform MRI exams and bill private health insurance companies according to the fee schedule for doctors.
The DRG fears that in the future, the license to practice medicine alone will be sufficient to provide services to privately insured persons and to bill the private health insurance company outside of the practitioner's own specialist area.
Attending courses do not come close to meeting the requirements of the further training regulations for doctors of the state medical associations, the DRG noted in a statement issued on 18 January. The judgments represent an unacceptable threat to the quality of specialist medical services and as a consequence, they mean that the safety of patients can no longer be guaranteed, the DRG added.
The DRG encouraged the country's medical self-government and legislators to ensure that medical activity in a specialist area requires appropriate further training.
You can read the full statement in German on the DRG website.
