Long wait for Telmed help Swiss man waits 6.5 hours in health insurance waiting loop
A Swiss man was trapped in the Telmed waiting loop for six and a half hours until he received help. The health insurance company admits to staff shortages.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A father has spent over six hours on hold on a telemedicine hotline trying to get medical help for his daughter.
- Those insured under the Telmed model are obliged to contact a consultation hotline before visiting a doctor in order to secure reimbursement.
- According to Medi24 and health insurer Helsana, the reason for the long waiting times is staff shortages in the medical department.
"All staff are currently occupied. We ask for your patience." This sentence is probably familiar to many. Combined with music, it is used in numerous telephone waiting loops. It can be quite annoying. At the beginning of October, one father's patience was particularly strained: He spent six and a half hours on hold on a telemedicine hotline, as reported by the "Beobachter ".
The man was hoping for medical advice for his 20-year-old daughter, who suffers from severe itching all over her body. He waited all night, and it was not until shortly after 7 a.m. that a medical professional picked up the phone.
Like around 1.25 million other Swiss people, he is insured under a Telmed model. He therefore has to call the telephone advice center before seeing a doctor. If he fails to do so, the health insurance company may not cover the costs and he risks being downgraded to the more expensive standard model.
Staff shortages as a reason
In Switzerland, Medi24 and Medgate are the dominant players in the Telmed market. Helsana, with whom the person concerned is insured, uses Medi24. The health insurance company admits that Medi24 has recently experienced problems with availability. This was due to "unforeseen bottlenecks in the medical staff", says Helsana media spokesperson Nico Nabholz to the Beobachter.
Medi24 also speaks of unexpected bottlenecks. The father's case does not reflect the quality standard. In 80 percent of cases, calls are answered within 20 seconds. However, it can take longer, especially at night.