General practitioners ’ attitudes towards and experiences with referrals due to supplemental health insurance

ConclusionEven though a majority of GPs associate SHI with overtreatment and inequality in health, many GPs feel under pressure to refer patients holding SHI for treatments or examinations that are not medically warranted. Some GPs even refer these patients without further examination or questioning. Insistent SHI patients may partly explain this paradox. Future research should illuminate SHI patients ’ courses in the private as well as the public healthcare system with regards to medical indications and health outcome measures focusing on inequality and overtreatment.
Source: Family Practice - Category: Primary Care Source Type: research