Chief Physician

A chief physician in Germany is a physician leaders, usually in a hospital. The Austrian term for it is first violinist, primary physician or short primary. Chief physician in Austria namely colloquially a different meaning: doctor a health insurance company, for example, the control the sickness makes, as well as health economic issues (Va concerning remedies, pharmaceuticals, health products ) controls - comparable to the German MDK, so a medical insurance.

Job Description

The term is not limited to hospitals, so that sometimes senior doctors of other facilities such as sanatoriums, laboratories, etc. are referred to as the head physician. In some states (eg Hamburg) is the official term Physician- performed, corresponding to the head doctor. Within the institution, the chief physician typically carries a comprehensive responsibility for a medically definable part of the area, such as a department. He is always Specialist corresponding area, but need not be habilitated. Apart from the medical responsibility of the chief doctor usually has a disciplinary responsibility at least for the doctors, often for psychologists, social workers, occupational and physical therapists. As chief physician also he is responsible for the economic results of operations of the department.

At university hospitals habilitation is a prerequisite for appointment as Chief Physician or Chief of the Department; several departments, which are managed by chief doctors or physicians Chief, then a (university) hospital, which ( in Austria: Executive Board ) by a director is conducted. Since each hospital after the hospital design law in the management, among other things requires a medical director, this is usually chosen from the ranks of the chief doctors in the hospital.

At the hospital, the chief doctor is responsible for the medical and structural processes in his department: He should monitor the activities of senior physicians who work under its responsibility and together with them the guidance contained in training junior doctors in their work. As part of a head physician he visited the patients of a station. Purpose is to advise their upper or ward physicians about the past and future diagnostics and therapy. In smaller clinics and hospitals, he must at times medical " background service " participate by it is holding at night and for the clinic in addition to there working on call doctors for advice and help on weekends.

Chief physicians in hospitals have mostly specially negotiated contracts which grant them considerable freedom with respect to the distribution of work and the private liquidation ( private billing for services with the patient, usually through a private health insurance). In general, only chief physicians and attending physicians are entitled as representatives of the chief physician to provide private liquidations and thus also to treat private patients in the hospital. The hospital receives in return from all head physicians a share of the gross receipts from the private medical sector. For the hospital owners, this is an interesting source of income and pulse to bind as many chief physicians at the clinic, which can expect a high proportion of private medical. It can be treated according to the contractual duties of a chief physician in a hospital, in which members of a statutory health insurance, are to perform at the request of the insured patients in this a single visit and advice or to discuss individually with the station and senior physicians in the event of the patient. A legal claim by SGB V does not insist. Daily treatment and regular visits may the chief physician but to others ( Upper) doctors.