Assessor in a part-time job: IV doctor raises half a million – now politics is interfering

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IV assessors have a huge impact on people’s lives. They assess the extent to which a person’s health problem prevents him from providing for himself – and therefore whether and to what extent the person receives a disability pension. The experts are appointed by the offices of canton IV. A disability pension will only be granted once all integration options have been examined.

Lucerne doctor Christian Fricke has prepared exactly 150 such reports in 2022. This is evident from a publicly accessible list from the Federal Social Insurance Agency (BSV). Fricke’s full-time job is as an insurance doctor at Suva, where he works 70 percent of the time. He also carried out the reports on behalf of the cantonal IV offices.

The Federal Council does not want to investigate

If you assume that this workload leaves 80 working days of free time, then Fricke spent only half a day per report. Financially it was worth it for him: in 2022 he collected a total of 568,650 francs for his part-time appraisal work. This is stated in the BSV list mentioned above.

Solothurn SVP National Councilor Rémy Wyssmann noted the high amount. In December, during parliamentary question time, he wanted to know whether the Federal Council saw reason to clarify this issue further. The answer was short: “Based on the currently available information, the Federal Council sees no reason for an investigation.” The “Blick” reported at the end of the year.

The Federal Office also sees no need for action

In its response, the Federal Council based its assessment on the BSV’s assessment. The agency sees no need for action. “With good, professional organization of the assessments and appropriate professional experience, it can be assumed that technically correct reports can be drawn up that meet the required requirements,” writes a spokesperson for BSV.

But now something is happening in this matter. Zug Green National Councilor Manuela Weichelt wants to discuss Fricke’s expert work at the next meeting of the Commission for Social Security and Health (SGK): “This case raises questions. With a secondary profession there are always circumstances that are difficult to estimate. I would like Suva to explain itself here and demand answers directly from the board of directors. Unfortunately, Suva is not subject to audit by the Federal Audit Office,” said Weichelt.

Sometimes multiple federal folders per case

SVP Landraad Wyssmann, also a member of the SGK, welcomes targeted quality assurance measures. Only in this way can expensive follow-up costs such as multiple appraisals and lengthy legal proceedings be avoided.

As a specialist in the field of liability and insurance law, Solothurn’s lawyer also represents clients in IV proceedings. “Today’s files sometimes contain multiple federal folders. An average monodisciplinary examination takes at least ten hours, including file assessment, preparation, exploration, anamnesis by third parties, follow-up examination and report preparation,” says Wyssmann. He finds it difficult to imagine how remarkably large volumes of work can be managed without compromising quality.

“Well coordinated team”

Doctor Fricke justifies his enormous work performance with optimal organization: “My expert work is based on a well-coordinated team, clear work processes and my personal commitment to the quality of my work,” he writes to the Observer. “This allows me to create high-quality medical reports.” He uses a large part of the compensation to run his own practice. According to Fricke, this includes assistant compensation, practice infrastructure and insurance.

Source:Blick