Hospital practice adversely affects specialist doctors
4 out of 10 specialist doctors say they are being pressured to do more procedures than necessary. Hospitals drive up their revenue by receiving a part of the wages of the specialists. The report is published in the Belgian magazine ‘de Specialisten/les Spécialistes'. In the French speaking part of Belgium, 5 out of 10 specialists feel pressured by their hospitals.
These figures are based on a written survey of almost 1,400 specialists. A quarter of the respondents felt pressure ‘sometimes' from the board, 10 percent ‘often' and 4 percent said that they feel ‘continually' pressured.
Peter Degadt, managing director of Zorgnet Vlaanderen, has requested a revision of the current funding system that constantly encourages more and more procedures.
Hospitals are not reimbursed for all costs they really incur. In the last decade, resources for hospitals increased by 5.72%, the doctors' fees by 6.77%. In the last government, the gap in growth even increased (7.5% for doctors' fees, 5% for hospitals). Although no system is fool proof, the current system urgently needs critical examination.
The difference between the Flemish and French speaking specialists can be explained by the higher contribution rates in the French part of Belgium. Walloon specialists have to give up a higher portion of their fee, driving up the pressure to do more procedures. Walloon hospitals also have higher structural costs, Degadt says.
Thanks to a ruling by the Constitutional Court last week, a system of controls measures will be possible. According to Zorgnet Vlaanderen, this system sanctions hospitals that consume too much and offers many solutions.