What is the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung – KBV)?

The KBV works in cooperation with the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Vereinigungen – KVs) to organize nationwide outpatient health care in people’s local areas: some 73 million people with statutory health insurance receive the same high-quality medical care throughout Germany. The KVs ensure that outpatient medical care works seamlessly: all patients can receive high-quality treatment from a nearby, registered doctor or psychotherapist of their choice – irrespective of which statutory health insurance provider they are insured with.

In addition to this “service guarantee”, the KBV’s primary task is to provide political representation for the approximately 183,000 outpatient doctors and psychotherapists working in practices: When it comes to legislative procedures or decisions on health policies at federal level, the KBV represents the position of registered doctors and psychotherapists. It also always sits at the table during negotiations on the range of services offered by the statutory health insurance providers and the remuneration of doctors and psychotherapists.

One of the most important self-imposed objectives is to improve conditions to enable the bodies to truly take on the legal mandate and responsibility of ensuring the provision of care. The KBV is also committed to restoring diagnostic and therapeutic freedom.

The sensitive patient-doctor relationship should not be impaired by bureaucracy and austerity measures. The KBV also wants to achieve appropriate, secure and comprehensible remuneration for registered doctors and psychotherapists.