Vienna shifts routine mole checks to private billing

Routine full-body mole checks at dermatologists in Vienna have become a private service, with the city’s Medical Chamber recommending a fee of 90 euros for adults, ORF reports. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) will continue to cover checks when there is a medical suspicion or an increased risk of skin cancer.

The change took effect on 1 November after a meeting of the chamber’s office-based doctors. The chamber’s vice-president, Naghme Kamaleyan-Schmied, said the move was intended to ease pressure on practices. The 90-euro recommendation is not binding: dermatologists can charge more or less, or continue offering checks through insurance.

ÖGK head Alexander Huss said the fund had not changed its contract with doctors. In the past, practices billed full-body checks as reflected-light microscopy, a service intended for examining individual moles. The fund had accepted that arrangement, but there is no separate insurance tariff for preventive full-body checks.

Kamaleyan-Schmied said not everyone needs an annual check and that dermatologists in Vienna are in short supply. Vienna health councillor Peter Hacker criticised the change, saying he believed it sent the wrong message about preventive care.

The ÖGK is considering covering a check once every five years. People can find out whether they are at increased risk during a free health check.