97% of contracted physician positions filled: A misleading statistic?

Austria's Health Ministry and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) have announced that 97% of contracted physician positions are filled, a figure they present as impressive. This statistic suggests that most available slots are either occupied or reserved for imminent appointments.

However, this high occupancy rate contrasts sharply with the reality faced by many patients, who report lengthy waits for specialist appointments. Certain medical fields, particularly gynecology, pediatrics, and child psychiatry, are disproportionately affected, with long delays and a significant number of specialists declining to take on new patients. For instance, Meinungsforscher Peter Hajek's 2024 analysis indicates average waiting times of 90 days for child and adolescent psychiatrists in Vienna, 57 days for radiologists, and 45 days for neurologists.

The statistic of 97% occupancy is misleading, according to critics, because the underlying issue is an outdated physician staffing plan that fails to account for population growth and an aging, sicker society. The demand for doctors with public health insurance contracts has surged, while their numbers have stagnated or even decreased in some areas. Vienna, for example, has seen its population grow by about 16% since 2012, yet the number of contracted doctors has reportedly fallen by 12% in the same period, according to the Medical Chamber.

This discrepancy is further evidenced by the rising number of private physicians and the increasing uptake of supplementary private health insurance. Currently, Austria has 11,939 private physicians compared to 7,239 contracted doctors. Ten years ago, these numbers were 4,476 private physicians and 6,923 contracted doctors, highlighting a doubling of private practitioners while contracted positions saw only a marginal increase. The ÖGK and the Health Ministry are accused of downplaying this inconvenient truth.

“

97 percent of all contracted positions are filled – meaning they are already assigned or at least reserved so that they will be filled soon.