From January 1, 2025, Belgian physiotherapists will be able to freely set their fees. This decision follows the announcement by Axxon, the professional association of physiotherapists, of the termination of the M24 pricing agreement, concluded with insurers.
In a press release released this Thursday, Axxon explains that this rupture is motivated by the non-compliance with the commitments included in the agreement for 2024, as well as by increasing uncertainty regarding the 2025 budget.
The M24 agreement included eleven commitments, mainly relating to the adjustment of fees, co-payments and travel costs, digitalization, the efficient use of resources in applied care and prevention projects, as well as transparency regarding the functioning of INAMI. However, it would be more accurate to speak of “promises” rather than commitments, according to Axxon, because six of these points were not implemented at all, and the other five were only partially implemented. Discussions on these issues resulted in an entire year of meetings in working groups and commissions, without any concrete results.
The association also points to a lack of clarity on how certain commitments were to be financed and implemented. For example, adjustments to fees and travel costs, considered priorities, have not been concretely addressed. Digitalization, although essential to lighten the administrative burden on professionals, remains on hold. “This is yet another demonstration of the glaring lack of recognition of the profession,” laments Axxon.
Faced with the absence of tangible results and the persistent blockage of discussions, Axxon claims to have taken this decision to defend the interests of its members and their patients.
The end of the agreement could lead to an increase in the cost of care for certain patients. However, Axxon emphasizes that this break will make it possible to remove a measure deemed “discriminatory”: the 25% reduction in reimbursements for care provided by non-approved physiotherapists, a demand defended for a long time by the association.
The future of negotiations between physiotherapists and insurers remains uncertain.
