Starting in October, the veterinary fee schedule will be adjusted for the first time in 20 years. This means price increases of €20-501 for pet owners. Continue to protect your beloved pet optimally with good pet insurance!
New fee schedule for veterinarians adopted by the Federal Cabinet
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has finalized the German Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT). This revision is based on a thorough review of veterinary services and their proper billing. Are the current GOT fee rates still up-to-date? Many veterinarians would likely answer "no." The last major amendment to the GOT dates back to 1999, and many framework conditions and cost factors have changed since then. Veterinary medicine has made enormous progress in the last 20 years, but further adjustments to the GOT, such as the introduction of an emergency service fee in February 2020, have been rather minor. In May 2022, the Federal Cabinet approved the revised GOT presented by the BMEL.
The revised version still needs to be approved by the Federal Council; it could then come into force in October 2022. The GOT Report: In May 2020, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) commissioned Prof. Dr. Eberhard Haunhorst of the Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES) and AFC Public Services GmbH to examine "the financial and structural impact on the appropriateness of veterinary fees." The final report of the study will now be available in November 2021. In addition to literature and statistical analysis, 25 interviews were conducted with experts from various interest groups. The researchers interviewed experts from veterinary professional associations, animal breeding associations, universities and government agencies, companies and insurance companies, as well as practicing veterinarians. Furthermore, an online survey was conducted among 1,300 practicing veterinarians throughout Germany.
The reference point for the reassessment of the GOT was a Draft by the German Federal Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons from 2012, so that nothing was changed in the structure or the service catalog. Expert opinion: Price increases will be the consequence.
The survey of veterinarians revealed that an average of 1.44 fees are charged in regular practice, while 2.25 times that amount is charged for emergency services (2019). Equine veterinarians charged the highest rates in regular practice, while small animal veterinarians charged the most for emergency services. The veterinarians felt that an adjustment was necessary, particularly regarding daily and frequent services (general examination, check-up, consultation, and injections). They would also like to see higher fees for castrations, anesthesia, X-rays, laboratory tests, and blood work.
The experts surveyed identified a pressing need to adapt the German Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT) to current treatment options, particularly for small animals and horses. They believe it is essential to increase fees, especially for services requiring expensive equipment, such as modern imaging techniques. However, setting fees that are economically viable for veterinarians and acceptable for animal owners is a challenge – especially in livestock farming. The practical significance of the GOT is declining somewhat, particularly for poultry and pigs, as more and more lump-sum payments are being made through subsidy agreements.
And how much will the vet visit cost?
The German Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT) does not specify flat rates, but rather tariffs for individual treatment steps. Services can be charged at one to three times the travel cost. To develop suitable tariff proposals, the investigators conducted a cost-benefit analysis based on total costs. This analysis considered all expenses of a veterinary practice and calculated them as a cost per minute of veterinary treatment: These costs amount to €2.27 in solo practices and €2.14 in group practices. This corresponds to a weighted average of €2.25 per treatment minute. To determine the prices for individual services, the time spent was multiplied by the cost per minute of treatment. The result is a newly calculated fee schedule for each item of the German Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT), e.g.:
The prices listed were adopted unchanged from the expert opinion into the draft law of the BMEL:
- Consultation: 11.26 euros
- General examination with consultation for dogs, cats, ferrets: 23.62 euros
- Castration of male cats 30,32;
- Male dog 70.60 euros
- Ovariectomy for cat: 56.48 euros;
- Female dog 128.27 euros
Therefore, after the price increase, we strongly recommend that all pet owners purchase pet health insurance, such as... near ours!
