Overview
- Philippi backs a federal proposal for GPs and pediatricians to steer patients to specialists with a promised appointment within four weeks.
- If no specialist slot is available in time, patients would be offered a hospital appointment, with gynecology and ophthalmology excluded from the fallback.
- He proposes allowing annual repeat prescriptions for stable chronic conditions to cut routine quarterly visits and free up practice capacity.
- The minister urges greater use of telemedicine, digital intake and AI-driven symptom questionnaires to triage cases and reduce unnecessary in‑person consultations.
- Citing persistent delays, a new survey reported widespread waits over a month, and the GKV federation called for a nationwide online booking portal treating statutory and private patients equally.