Österreichische Ärztekammer

Austrian Medical Chamber

 

Weihburggasse 10-12; 1010 Wien

+43 1 51406-3000

international[at]aerztekammer.at / post[at]aerztekammer.at

www.aerztekammer.at

 

The Chamber was established in its current form in 1891. There are 9 regional Medical Chambers (one in each Austrian province), for which the Austrian Medical Chamber acts as umbrella association under public law. All of the 43,000 doctors exercising their profession are members of the Medical Chamber of the province in which they work. Each provincial Medical Chamber is structured into two bodies (“Kurien”), one for hospital physicians and one for self-employed doctors.

 

In general, the provincial Medical Chambers are responsible for representing the doctors in their respective provinces. This implies that most of the operative duties fall under their competence. The Austrian Medical Chamber, on the other hand, assumes responsibility for matters which concern the whole country, the emphasis being on strategic activities.

 

Tasks and responsibilities 

• Represents the physicians’ professional, social and economic interests
• Constitutes the competent national authority for doctors in Austria
• Coordinates admission to and administration of the medical register
• Serves as the competent authority for conducting specialist/GP qualifying exams, issuing specialist/GP diplomas and recognising foreign medical qualifications
• Involved in medical training and CME/CPD
• Quality assurance of medical practices and CME
• Elaboration of concepts, expert opinions and proposals regarding the Austrian healthcare system, including the right to comment on draft bills
• Enacts guidelines regarding medical fees, the medical code of conduct, etc.
• Negotiates contracts with social insurance institutions and collective agreements
• Executes disciplinary legislation and arbitration  

Medical education

 

Basic Medical Education  

• The minimum  duration of study for acquiring a medical degree is 6 years
• The content of basic medical training is defined in the "Universitätsgesetz" (federal law) of 2002 

Specialty Training  

• The Ministry of Health defines the content of specialty training in cooperation with the Austrian Medical Chamber
• Specialty training takes places at training institutions accredited by the Austrian Medical Chamber.
  Departments and other organisational units of hospitals, including university clinics, as well as individual private physician practices may be accredited as training institutions.
• Certificates for specialty training are issued by the Austrian Medical Chamber
• Specialty qualifications from abroad are also recognised by the Austrian Medical Chamber

Continuing Medical Education /
Continuing Professional Development (CME / CPD) 

• CME and CPD are compulsory in Austria
• The Austrian Medical Chamber is responsible for CME/CPD regulations
• Every 5 years, every licenced doctor, GP or specialist must accumulate 250 DFP credits (Transition period: Until 30.6.2017, it is also possible to accumulate 150 DFP credits over 3 years)
• Organisers of training events must apply for accreditation at the Akademie der Ärzte. The Akademie der Ärzte examines whether the event in question complies with the quality criteria for CME events defined in the Austrian Medical Chamber’s CME regulations (DFP-Verordnung). In the case of positive accreditation, the event is granted a certain number of CME (DFP) credits depending on the duration of the event (45 min = 1 credit).