There are many options for those who want to invest their money. Shares, real estate or traditionally in the bank as an investment. For some years now, however, there has been a more unusual way of investing your money in Germany: medical practices. In an interview with Michel Abdollahi, the Vice President of the German Dental Association, Konstantin von Laffert, talks about the current developments in dentistry in the 389th episode of the podcast "Today Important" and describes them as the "industrialization of medicine" that he and his colleagues fear to have.
Konstantin von Laffert, himself a dentist, speaks of around 400 dental practices in Germany that are run by investors. With around 50,000 dental practices, this number does not sound all that big at first glance, but the trend is increasing, as he emphasizes. And it is precisely in these practices that more is often done than is actually necessary. "That's the problem: the so-called overtreatment," says Konstantin von Laffert. Because every treatment is lucrative - and if patients are seen as a source of income, the risk that treatments will be carried out on them that would not have been necessary increases. "As a patient, you can't judge that at all. If I tell you there's tooth decay, a crown needs to be put on, then you can maybe get a second opinion if you're somehow suspicious, but you can't judge at all whether I'm telling you the truth or not."
"It's only been possible since 2015, these investor MVZ, before that it was forbidden in our country," Konstantin von Laffert explains the so-called medical care centers, which are now being bought up by investors. Jens Spahn, of all people, was one of the biggest supporters of this change in the law and, as Minister of Health, is now the person to whom Konstantin von Laffert and his colleagues have to appeal in order to reverse the change in the law. "We made all sorts of demands on him and sent him various documents and passed our requirements on to him. He doesn't do anything." According to von Laffert, a smaller step towards solving the problem would be transparency. He therefore demands that a medical facility backed by investors should be made recognizable by a clear sign at the entrance. Incidentally, he himself is also being courted by investors: "I have three offers right here on my desk in front of me that I should sell my practice."
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