Physiotherapists complain about excessive bureaucracy

Physiotherapists in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia complain about excessive bureaucracy and pressure from health insurance companies. "It starts with checking the prescription. The therapist has to check whether the prescription issued by the doctor is correct," said Janine Gasch, branch manager of the VDB-Physiotherapieverband Landesverband Ost. Changes are usually difficult to obtain, as not all doctors are willing to do so retrospectively or, in the case of hospital doctors, are often unavailable. "Not everything always runs smoothly. Health insurance companies often deduct something, even though we are not to blame for any omissions."

According to Gasch, the documentation of treatment and the medical report also mean a lot of bureaucracy. The latter in particular is often required but not sufficiently remunerated. The mood in the sector varies greatly. Older colleagues in particular would find changes due to new framework agreements and digitalization difficult. Staff shortages and the behavior of some health insurance companies are also causing problems. Training is difficult, student numbers are falling and many are dropping out. "Although the profession is interesting and important, the pay is at minimum wage level. It is also a physically demanding profession. That puts many people off."