- National billing specialist in Germany for medical service contracts.
- HQ of Medizinisches Rechenzentrum GmbH to be in Cologne.
- Awaiting antitrust authority approval.
The Deutsche Telekom Group is planning the next step in building out its healthcare business area. Telekom aims to set up a data center together with Hausärztliche Vertragsgemeinschaft AG (HÄVG AG), a subsidiary of the Association of General Practitioners (Deutscher Hausärzteverband e.V.) The new company, headquartered in Cologne, will offer IT-based billing services for medical service contracts between parties such as family physicians and health insurance providers. Telekom will be the majority shareholder and HÄVG AG will hold a minority interest. The plans still require the approval of the Federal Cartel Office. Dr. Axel Wehmeier, responsible for the healthcare business area at Deutsche Telekom, said: "This new joint venture will position Deutsche Telekom as a billing specialist for medical service contracts in Germany. It is a huge boost to our healthcare business. One key goal is to enable the healthcare sector to transmit digital data securely." Ulrich Weigeldt, Chairman of Deutscher Hausärzteverband e.V., added: "We chose Telekom as it is a dependable partner that will support us physicians with billing as an independent IT service provider." German government reinforces the role of family physicians Across Germany, some three million citizens take advantage of family physician-based primary care in a system that includes around 13,000 physicians from the federal states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg , Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia , Hesse, and Saxony. New contracts will be added from January 1, 2013 as additional doctors in the North Rhine and Westphalia-Lippe regions as well as in Hesse intend to join the system. Additional contracts between associations of general practitioners and health insurance providers are to follow in these and other states. The German government has reinforced the role of family physicians. In accordance with § 73 b of Volume V of the German Social Security Code (SGB), public health insurance providers are obligated to offer family physician-based primary care to parties insured with them. Family physicians are the first point of contact for patients and coordinate their medical care. They have a longstanding relationship of care with patients, refer them to specialists if required, and keep a comprehensive overview of all treatment. This helps to avoid multiple examinations and unnecessary visits.
About Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies with almost 130 million mobile customers, 33 million fixed-network lines and more than 17 million broadband lines (as of June 30, 2012). The Group provides fixed-network , mobile communications, Internet and IPTV products and services for consumers, and ICT solutions for business and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in around 50 countries and has over 233,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenue of EUR 58.7 billion in the 2011 financial year - over half of it outside Germany (as of December 31, 2011). About Deutscher Hausärzteverband e.V. and HÄVG AG Deutscher Hausärzteverband, the German Association of General Practitioners, has some 32,000 members making it the largest professional association of physicians in private practice across Germany and Europe. Hausärztliche Vertragsgemeinschaft Aktiengesellschaft (HÄVG) is a company headquartered in Cologne. It provides services in the healthcare sector for general practitioners and other service providers, as well as their organizations. The company realizes this primarily by concluding and implementing/supporting the implementation of contracts with health insurance companies and service providers in the healthcare sector. HÄVG's tasks include: Conducting contract negotiations with health insurance providers, holding records of physicians under contract, maintaining a database of master data on physicians, providing telephone support for customers (inquiries on contract execution, contractual documents, etc.), payment of fees, drafting and dispatch of contract documentation (in cooperation with health insurance providers and general practitioners' associations), planning and preparation of quarterly billing in conjunction with an external billing provider, daily electronic data carrier exchange with the health insurance providers.