“Primary care needs more commitment”In two in-depth interviews, Prof. Jonas Schreyögg explains the results of the evaluation of TK’s GP-centred care model and notes that, due to a lack of binding requirements for the insured, hardly any steering effects were achieved.
3 July 2026, by Hannes Rathjen
Photo: HCHE/Gregor Schläger
According to Professor Jonas Schreyögg, Director of the HCHE, a mandatory primary care physician system would be more effective than the current GP-centered care model (HZV). In an interview with the German Ärzte Zeitung, Schreyögg emphasizes that the voluntary nature of the HZV significantly limits its ability to steer patient pathways. Although general practitioners receive additional remuneration for coordinating care, many insured individuals do not adhere to the requirement of visiting their GP practice first. Consequently, the goal of better patient steering can only be achieved to a limited extent.
A large-scale analysis of routine data from the health insurer Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) covering the years 2015 to 2024 shows that the HZV is associated with higher overall costs. At the same time, no reduction in hospital admissions is evident when looking at the data as a whole. Positive effects were observed only among older and highly adherent insured individuals. Schreyögg emphasizes that a mandatory primary care system – featuring clear access rules and referral protocols – could manage care more efficiently than the current voluntary model.
The publication of the study attracted significant attention and drew widely varying political interpretations. In a detailed interview with the specialist journal Monitor Versorgungsforschung, Jonas Schreyögg elaborates on the study design and explains the differences between the HZV models of Techniker Krankenkasse and AOK Baden-Württemberg, as well as the differences in how the two were evaluated.
For further information please read the full interviews with Jonas Schreyögg in German in the Ärzte Zeitung (author: Anno Fricke) and in Monitor Versorgungsforschung (author: Peter Stegmeier).
