Swiss government approves Tardoc changes but demands further fixes

Switzerland’s Federal Council has approved the first revision of Tardoc, the country’s outpatient physician tariff system, but is calling for further corrections on costs and primary care. Public broadcaster SRF reported that the changes will take effect at the start of 2027.

The revised system has been in force since early 2026, replacing Tarmed. It combines Tardoc, which pays for individual services, with flat rates for outpatient treatment, and can be updated annually. The government welcomed proposals from the Organisation for Outpatient Physician Tariffs but rejected some on methodological grounds.

The Federal Council has set a limit of 4% on annual growth in the total costs of outpatient medical services, as part of its goal of keeping costs neutral during the transition. The tariff partners have not yet presented a plan to meet that limit. The government has asked the Federal Department of Home Affairs to prepare possible state interventions.

The government also wants to strengthen primary care, particularly family medicine and paediatrics. It said current calculations do not yet show improvements in those fields. For their next proposal, the tariff partners must submit a binding timetable for upgrading primary care and improve the methodological basis of their data.

The tariff partners are the Swiss Medical Association FMH, hospital association H+, and health insurers’ association Prio.Swiss. Approved changes mainly cover paediatrics and adolescent medicine, hospital emergency departments, and outpatient flat rates for pathology and hand, jaw and paediatric surgery. The flat rates cover services provided on the same day as an operation; initial consultations and follow-up care on other days continue to be billed under the individual-service tariff.