Insurance medicine

Insurance medicine is a branch of social medicine, which is not concerned with the treatment of disease or accident, but with the relationships between the policyholders, medical providers, and insurance companies. The questions examined are not only medical but also legal and sociological nature. There are contextual links to laws, regulations and occupational medicine.

Medical insurance is available in the insurance industry since the 1840s, began as an insurer, to consult doctors for the estimation of risk of increased disease risk. The field of activity of the insurance physician extends in various sectors such as health insurance, life insurance, property insurance, or disability.

Medical insurance is not a university subject in Germany. Nevertheless begin individual medical schools to implement the insurance medicine in research and teaching. In general, the insurance medicine is then the Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine assigned ).

In the so-called Social Security trust doctors create medical reports for authorities or social security institutions. They examine insured unable to work in terms of the length and nature of their disability, decide on remedies and operate as a pension expert. Private insurance mandate so-called company doctors, among others, the assessment of personal injury or life insurance. The activities of the company doctor is partially different from the activities of social medicine. Overlaps exist, for example, by the assessments on disability. Currently, reports on private insurance of doctors from various disciplines without additional specific training to be created. From specialists within the Social Security ( MDK, DRV), the additive compartment Social Medicine is expected in Germany normally.

International Research and

For underwriting medical activity, there is no set curriculum or specialist training. Instead, many years of professional experience and especially insurance medical expertise is required. In addition, it requires good knowledge of medical insurance and the willingness to engage in interdisciplinary cooperation with, professionals from the performance and contract area, as well as with lawyers and mathematicians. Currently, the insurance medicine is not particularly evidence-based. However, the evidence base is growing. There are now efforts to establish the insurance medicine as an interdisciplinary research-based subject at universities.

The first and only university institution in the German-speaking world is the Academy of Swiss Insurance Medicine in Basel. In the Netherlands, a research cooperation in the field of insurance medicine exists. This is followed participate the Free University of Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, the University of Groningen and TNO. In Belgium, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a research center for insurance medicine. There is also the seat of scientific Association for Insurance Medicine in Flanders.

The University of Basel offers since 2008 a two-year Master's program the first facility in the German-speaking countries. Also, there is a 2-year Master's program in Belgium.

In the Netherlands there are specialist training for medical insurance with a term of four years; strong social medically oriented. Further training as a specialist in insurance medicine in the Czech Republic is possible. In Belgium, its own specialist training in insurance medicine and medical expertise was introduced in 2007. In Italy, the insurance medicine is again counted for Forensic Medicine. In the EU, Directive 2005/36/EC of these specialist direction does not appear; migration of specialists within Europe is therefore likely to be difficult.