OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2012.  The Deutsche Telekom Group is planning the next step in building out its healthcare business area. Telekom aims to set up a data center together with Hausдrztliche Vertragsgemeinschaft AG (HДVG AG), a subsidiary of the Association of General Practitioners (Deutscher Hausдrzteverband e.V.) The new company, headquartered in Cologne, will offer IT-based billing services for medical service contracts between parties such as family physicians and health insurance providers. Telekom will be the majority shareholder and HДVG AG will hold a minority interest. The plans still require the approval of the Federal Cartel Office.

Dr. Axel Wehmeier, responsible for the healthcare business area at Deutsche Telekom, said: "This new joint venture will position Deutsche Telekom as a billing specialist for medical service contracts in Germany. It is a huge boost to our healthcare business. One key goal is to enable the healthcare sector to transmit digital data securely." Ulrich Weigeldt, Chairman of Deutscher Hausдrzteverband e.V., added: "We chose Telekom as it is a dependable partner that will support us physicians with billing as an independent IT service provider."

German government reinforces the role of family physicians
Across Germany, some three million citizens take advantage of family physician-based primary care in a system that includes around 13,000 physicians from the federal states of Bavaria, Baden-Wьrttemberg, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, and Saxony. New contracts will be added from January 1, 2013 as additional doctors in the North Rhine and Westphalia-Lippe regions as well as in Hesse intend to join the system. Additional contracts between associations of general practitioners and health insurance providers are to follow in these and other states.

The German government has reinforced the role of family physicians. In accordance with § 73 b of Volume V of the German Social Security Code (SGB), public health insurance providers are obligated to offer family physician-based primary care to parties insured with them. Family physicians are the first point of contact for patients and coordinate their medical care. They have a longstanding relationship of care with patients, refer them to specialists if required, and keep a comprehensive overview of all treatment. This helps to avoid multiple examinations and unnecessary visits.