Are premium payers being ripped off? Medical company allegedly charges absurdly high travel expenses

ai-scrape

29.1.2025 - 11:56

Doctors from a Swiss company are allegedly charging individual travel expenses even though several patients are treated in nursing homes during one visit.
Doctors from a Swiss company are allegedly charging individual travel expenses even though several patients are treated in nursing homes during one visit.
Symbolbild: Tom Weller/dpa

The medical company Emeda is suspected of charging excessive travel expenses for visits to retirement and nursing homes. Based on research, this practice may be systematic.

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • The medical company Emeda is said to have systematically overcharged for visits to nursing homes, regardless of the number of patients treated.
  • Investigations by CSS and Helsana revealed some extreme invoices, including travel times of up to twelve hours and costs of CHF 2,000 for a single visit.
  • Emeda denies the allegations.

The medical company Emeda, which provides medical care in retirement and nursing homes, is facing allegations. Specifically, it is said to be charging excessive travel allowances, as reported by SRF's "Kassensturz".

The case is illustrated using the example of Rosmarie Aebi, whose father lives in such a home. Aebi noticed irregularities in the medical bills: She found that a travel allowance of CHF 49.69 was charged for each visit, regardless of the number of patients visited. She calculates: "With 20 people per day, that's 20 times 49.69 francs, i.e. around 1,000 francs, without any service having been provided."

Several relatives of care home residents came forward with similar suspicions. In order to clarify whether Emeda was actually systematically overcharging for travel expenses, SRF involved the two largest health insurance companies, CSS and Helsana, in the investigation. These insurers have specialized teams that detect incorrect medical bills.

2000 francs travel costs for one visit

The review of thousands of Emeda invoices by CSS and Helsana revealed that travel expenses of 60 to 90 minutes were regularly charged for individual visits to the home. This is remarkable, as the two insurers only cover a third of the market.

Extrapolated to all health insurance companies, the travel times add up to three to four and a half hours per visit. In one case from November 2022, the travel allowances even amounted to twelve hours, which corresponds to travel costs of CHF 2,000 for a single visit.

Emeda denies the allegations

Emeda manages over 20 care centers in five cantons and charges around half a million francs in travel expenses every year. Random checks to date indicate that considerable amounts have been billed unlawfully over the last four years. Harry Wüst from Helsana confirms that this could amount to hundreds of thousands of francs.

The accused company denies the allegations: "We have no intention of generating additional income by charging for travel times," a spokesperson for Emeda told blue News. Independently of the "Kassensturz" investigation, the company has revised the previous procedure for charging travel times and rectified the previous shortcomings, which should prevent outliers in future.

"We have also discussed and agreed this billing method with the major health insurers," emphasizes the spokesperson.

CSS and Helsana, on the other hand, are planning to investigate the matter further and, if necessary, reclaim any overcharges, according to SRF.

The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.