Complementary and alternative medicine looks at the human as a whole and in particular looks at the background for a given illness.
By contrast, traditional medicine focuses on the symptoms and observes changes in the human organism.
Complementary medicine: Diagnostic and therapeutic methods which are used in addition to traditional medicine.
Alternative medicine: Diagnostic and therapeutic methods which are used instead of traditional medicine.
Complementary and alternative medicine under basic insurance
Basic insurance covers the costs for five treatment methods:
- Acupuncture
- Anthroposophical medicine
- Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
- Homeopathy
- Phytotherapy (herbal medicine)
These methods are considered equivalent to the medical specialist areas covered by basic insurance and count towards the deductible accordingly.
Treatment must be performed by a licensed specialist practising traditional medicine. The treatment must also be medically required. This is the case with hay fever or as an addition to a medical treatment.
Basic insurance does not cover the costs of any treatments that are not medically required; this may be the case for preventative treatments and so-called “ailments” such as tenseness, tension or stress.
In certain cases, the insurer may have questions about the medical necessity of a treatment and will ask the medical specialist or therapist to complete a questionnaire. This is sometimes required for longer courses of treatment, because the details included on the forwarded bills may make insufficient reference to the medical necessity of the treatment.
Complementary and alternative medicine under supplementary insurance
Supplementary insurance also contributes towards the costs of treatment methods that are not covered under basic insurance.
If you want to get the most benefit from your insurance, the treatment method and therapist must be recognised by ÖKK.
Patients do not necessarily have to turn to an orthodox medical practitioner, but can also be treated by a therapist or naturopath.
Recognised therapy methods
Various alternative medical methods are recognised under the ÖKK NATURE supplementary insurance. Details can be found on the information sheet. Recognised alternative medicine therapy methods (ÖKK NATURE supplementary insurance).
Recognised therapists
ÖKK believes it is very important to receive treatment from highly qualified medical specialists and therapists. As such, the medical specialist or therapist treating you must be listed in the Empirical Medical Register (EMR).
The EMR is an independent inspection body, which checks the qualifications of complementary and alternative medical practitioners and awards the EMR quality label. You can find out whether a doctor or alternative/complementary medicine specialist is recognised by the EMR on the EMR website.