Healthcare Emergency practice in Sursee to close its doors at the end of 2024

The emergency practice at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in Sursee will have to close its doors at the end of 2024 for financial reasons. Thirteen medical practice assistants and 43 doctors will be given notice in September.

The decision was made on the basis of a Federal Court ruling from June 2024, the emergency practice Sursee AG announced on Friday. The court came to the conclusion that the charging of so-called inconvenience surcharges for emergency practices that are open between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays is fundamentally inadmissible.

The health insurance companies had been fighting against the inconvenience surcharge for permanent and emergency practices since spring 2021, the report continued. Some insurers had demanded repayments or stopped paying for treatment services.

It is unclear whether the new Federal Supreme Court case law also applies to the Sursee emergency practice, it added. This has not yet been assessed by any court. This is because the purpose of the emergency practice - to offer GP emergency services - is different to that of the permanent practices affected by the Federal Court ruling.

However, the insurance companies applied the case law to the Sursee emergency practice. Without an inconvenience surcharge and only with the daily rate, this would lead to a massive reduction in income. This would deprive the practice of its financial basis.

Various solutions had been examined but could not be implemented, the statement continued. Nevertheless, the Board of Directors and management are open to discussing alternative approaches. The government and the Health Directorate have been informed of the closure of the practice.

SDA