Health
Telephone child sickness notification for parents in sight
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to relieve the burden on doctors’ practices. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
Adults no longer have to go to the practice to receive a sick note for minor illnesses. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach would like to expand this regulation.
Parents will probably soon be able to obtain medical certificates stating that they need to care for a sick child by telephone and without visiting the practice. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) signaled this in a letter to the Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said that a regulation was planned to come into force on December 18th. The signature process has already been initiated for a corresponding agreement, according to the letter that is available to the German Press Agency.
Lauterbach had previously asked the KBV and the umbrella association of statutory health insurance companies (GKV) to make such a regulation. The background to this is the possibility of making sick notes over the telephone for minor illnesses if patients are known in the practice. The Joint Federal Committee of doctors, health insurance companies and clinics recently decided on a permanent regulation modeled on a special Corona regulation.
Lauterbach explained in a letter to the KBV and the health insurance companies that telephone sick leave should not only relieve the burden on patients and practices in which the insured themselves are sick and unable to work – but also when children are sick and parents are entitled to claim child sickness benefit require a medical certificate. The “Rheinische Post” first reported on the minister’s letter.