According to what news has learned, the government will change the subsidy doctors receive for each patient. Today, GPs receive a fixed sum for each patient, regardless of how old or sick the patient is. In the next state budget, the government will differentiate this, so that GPs receive higher subsidies for elderly and sick patients, and less for young and healthy patients. Proposals for the state budget for 2023 will be presented by the Støre government on Thursday at 10:00. The change comes after high pressure and broad political agreement that the GP scheme is in crisis. In August, the government set up a fast-working expert committee which will make concrete proposals for measures to strengthen the GP scheme, while assessing the funding model so that “the basic allowance better reflects the workload”. The expert committee must deliver the first recommendations by 1 December 2022. news also learns that the government will allow extra money for the GP scheme, but does not yet know the specific sum. The Norwegian Medical Association responds Anne-Karin Rime, president of the Norwegian Medical Association – What is important now are measures that have an immediate effect on an escalating crisis in the GP system. There are several unresolved questions surrounding a possible risk adjustment. The medical association envisages real processes between the parties which ensure that targeted resources arrive quickly for the GP scheme. President of the Medical Association, Anne-Karin Rime, tells news that there are still several unresolved questions and that it is “important to take measures that have an immediate effect on an escalating crisis in the GP scheme”. Photo: Legeforeningen/Thomas B. Eckhoff – It is not always the case that age dictates how much work there is – This is good, and sends a fortunate signal that older patients must be given higher priority, says Ellen Birgitte Pedersen, who is an SV politician and GP in Axes. She points out that the current funding model gives an unfortunate incentive to prioritize “young, nimble patients” who are in and out quickly. – We generally get sicker the older we get, and older patients naturally need longer time at the doctor’s office. – This is good, and sends a lucky signal that older patients must be given a higher priority, says Ellen Birgitte Pedersen, who is an SV politician and GP in Øksnes. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news Kristina Valderhaug is a GP in Florø, and has described everyday life as a struggle to stay afloat. She is happy about the signal from the government, but adds that “it is not always the case that age dictates how much work one uses per patient.” – Younger patients with complicated problems can be as resource-demanding as an old hook, she says. She adds: – Reducing the length of the list, having colleagues you can rely on and collegial absence coverage are examples of measures that enable the GP to manage his time properly, regardless of age. KS has given input on differentiated subsidies Helge Eide, director of social welfare and democracy in KS – We do not know the details of the state budget, but the municipalities expect that the government will increase the authorization for the GP scheme. The government itself has signaled this. KS has given hints that differentiated subsidies according to age, for example, could be a relevant tool. This is also assessed by the expert committee, which will recommend changes to the GP scheme. – It is not always the case that age dictates how much work there is. Younger patients with complicated problems can be as resource-demanding as an old hook, says Kristina Valderhaug. Photo: Oddmund Haugen Bod war between Norwegian district municipalities The GP crisis has been on the agenda this autumn after the Directorate of Health revised up the number of Norwegians without a GP to 175,000. The General Practitioners Association, for its part, claims the real number is 235,000. The recruitment problem has in turn led to a bidding war between Norwegian district municipalities competing for the same GPs. In an internal memo circulating among Norwegian municipalities, it is stated that “medical expenses have exploded”, and that next summer the municipalities must prepare to tempt newly graduated Danish doctors with salaries of 400,000 Norwegian kroner – a month. An internal note sounds the alarm that medical expenses for Norwegian municipalities “have exploded”. Photo: Håvard Nyhus In Årdal municipality, mayor Hilmar Høl (Ap) calls the galloping medical expenses “the biggest problem we have”. The municipal manager for health in the same municipality, Mette Hestetun Berg, says she had expected more from the state budget. – If this is the change, then it seems that the government has little knowledge of the challenges in the districts. Most doctors today are employed on a fixed salary and then it is not so important what you get per patient. So I’m not sure if this will lead to more people becoming permanent doctors, she says.
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The government will give doctors more for sick and elderly patients – news Vestland
