General Practitioners and Specialists: What’s a Fair Price?
Medscape December 12, 2024
During the first congress of the Belgian College of General Practitioners, held on November 15 and 16 in Namur, Belgium, a workshop tackled the question, “What is the fair price for general practitioners (GPs) and specialists?” The session addressed familiar challenges such as an aging population, the rising burden of related chronic diseases, and a healthcare workforce shortage. Discussions centered on rethinking provider compensation and reorganizing care delivery.
“In Belgium, as elsewhere, the hospital-centered model has reached its limits,” said workshop Co-moderator Lawrence Cuvelier, a GP in Brussels and president of Groupement Belge des Omnipraticiens, a union for French-speaking GPs in Belgium.
Healthcare spending in Belgium now accounts for 10% of the country’s GDP, up from 7% just a few...