The Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is primarily responsible for distributing money from health insurance companies to its members. But it also wants to help shape patient care. With the internet portal DocOnline (external link) KVB wants to guide patients who currently do not have the opportunity to go to a practice they usually go to if they have health problems.
Fabian Demmelhuber, who is responsible for developing the portal, cites as a typical example parents who are unsure whether their sick child should be examined by a doctor immediately. After an initial online assessment process, portal users can be referred for a video consultation.
Questionnaire aims to identify emergencies
First, DocOnline users are asked to answer questions that clarify whether there is an acute emergency. For example, people ask whether a patient is getting enough air or has acute heart problems. In these cases, the portal recommends calling the emergency number 112 or going to an emergency room.
For problems that do not require an ambulance or a visit to the emergency room, DocOnline users can be referred for a video consultation. On the other end of the data line are doctors from all over Bavaria who have agreed to be part of the online portal.
DocOnline does not want to take patients away from the specialist practices or family doctors they usually visit, emphasizes Fabian Demmelhuber. It is about providing medical care outside the usual office opening hours, as has been the case for a long time. Phone number 116117 it happens.
Direct route to digital appointment time
The new feature is the possibility of carrying out a video consultation directly on the computer. Participating doctors can also issue prescriptions and medical certificates.
Doctors who see patients via video on the DocOnline portal can bill the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Doctors for their work. The KVB emphasizes that there are no private companies involved that earn additional money from the work of the doctors involved, as is the case with some other video consultation portals.
Online use of the health card
In order for the fees to reach the doctors, patients must enter their health insurance card details. This can be done with a smartphone photo or manually, explains Fabian Demmlhuber from the KVB: “These are common digital steps that need to be completed.”
After a pilot phase, DocOnline has been in regular operation for a few weeks now. The first experiences are good, says Demmelhuber. The offer is currently limited to Bavaria. But there is also interest from other parts of Germany.
Relief expected for emergency rooms
In addition to the advantages for patients, who can obtain medical help quickly and conveniently, the KVB also expects an advantage for the entire healthcare system: that fewer people will go to hospital emergency rooms if they can also receive help in other ways.