28.05.2010.

Include 2011 18 - 20 April 2011 Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU, UK

10.04.2010.

Info about EBP assistance from Germany

10.02.2010.

New document added. Procedure for National Associations to ask COTEC members for information. You can find it in COTEC documents section.

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News from Austria March 2007

The Association of the 7 allied health professions in Austria is now called mtd-austria (www.mtd-austria.at). At the general meeting in December 2006 a new president was elected: Gabriele Jaksch (physiotherapist). Dominik Bischof (radiographer) was elected as vice-president. Marion Stadler, the president of the Austrian National Association of Occupational Therapists, is the treasurer. Due to the constitution of mtd-austria, the constitution of the Austrian National Association of Occupational Therapists has also been changed. Also the name of the Association has been changed to “ergo Austria – Bundesverband der ErgotherapeutInnen Österreichs”.

mtd-austria is trying to become the registering body for all its member professions. So far there is no professional registration for any of these groups in Austria. But according to European guidelines members of the allied health professions should be professionally registered in the future.

Two new regional groups of OTs have been established: in Upper Austria and in Burgenland.

Degree courses for OTs

In June 2005 the Austrian Parliament passed a law that among others also OT education should be changed from diploma to degree courses (bachelor). Two of the existing 8 education programmes (Graz, Wr. Neustadt) already started a degree course (Fachhochschule) in 2006, Salzburg and Vienna will follow in September 2007. Two further education programmes (Klagenfurt and Innsbruck) applied for accreditation of a degree course. Agreement between the Austrian National Association of Occupational Therapists and “Wiener Gebietskrankenkasse” (one of the health insurance organisations)In November 2005 an agreement between the Austrian National Association for Occupational Therapists and the biggest health insurance company in Vienna was signed. This was the result of long negotiations. Since April 2006, OT treatment of patients insured with this company is fully covered by the insurer. The agreed fee for OT services is at a reasonable level, higher than in other existing agreements with other smaller health insurance companies in Austria. So far most patients in Austria get only a part of the costs for OT services reimbursed. There have also been successful negotiations with other health insurance organisations during the last year (the reimbursed part being increased).