proQura recommended as a pioneering system for sustainable cost containment

At the end of October 2025, the “Round Table on Cost Containment” chaired by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider decided on concrete measures to reduce costs in the healthcare system. A key element is the passing on of discounts on therapeutic products to health insurers. This is expected to save around 60 million Swiss francs annually – proQura is an integral part of these measures.

The “Round Table on Cost Containment” set out various measures to reduce healthcare costs in the “Round Table on Cost Containment Action Paper“. One of the 12 measures adopted concerns the passing on of discounts in accordance with Art. 56 para. 3bis KVG and the VITH. The members of the Round Table agree that measures should be taken to ensure that the obligation to pass on advantages is implemented as comprehensively as possible. The action paper expressly stipulates that doctors can use external service providers for implementation. Pro Medicus offers this service under the name proQura for registered specialists.

With immediate effect, all doctors should consistently pass on any discounts they receive when purchasing therapeutic products to health insurers. This recommendation was adopted on 27 October 2025 by the Round Table on Cost Containment in Healthcare, set up by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, as one of a total of 12 measures (press release).

The aim of the measure listed there, “Passing on discounts”, is to curb the rise in premiums for insured persons and to make the passing on of discounts feasible for all parties. The policy paper expressly stipulates that doctors may use external service providers to implement the measure. Pro Medicus offers this service to registered specialists under the name proQura. proQura is one of several systems that support the medical profession in implementing the legal provisions on the passing on of discounts.

Through the consistent passing on of advantages, the round table expects total savings of CHF 60 million per year, CHF 30 million of which will come from doctors and CHF 30 million from hospitals. Experience shows that this goal is realistic: proQura alone was able to pass on CHF 13.8 million in discounts to insurance companies in 2024. In total, proQura has passed on almost CHF 50 million to insurance companies over the past five years. These funds are used by health insurers to curb cost increases.

The members of the Round Table on Cost Containment in Healthcare agree that the legally compliant and practical passing on of discounts needs more support. The round table is calling for the passing on of discounts to be implemented across the board, i.e. in hospitals, by GPs, specialists and pharmacies. In addition, the Ordinance on Transparency and Integrity in the Therapeutic Products Sector (VITH) is to be adapted so that medical devices are also included in the regulations in future – a welcome step. Pro Medicus, the operating company of proQura, is a member of a working group set up by the FOPH in the summer of 2025 and led by the FMH, which also includes representatives of health insurance purchasing groups and GP networks. This working group was set up by the FOPH with the aim of making the guidelines on discount passing on feasible for all medical practices.

proQura: Now covering 9 specialist areas, 800 doctors and savings of £50 million

proQura is now also open to all outpatient pulmonologists. With the decision taken in September by the board of the Swiss Society of Pulmonology (SGP), pulmonologists participating in proQura will also make a significant contribution to improving quality and reducing costs in the healthcare system.

proQura leads to higher quality by enabling doctors to implement measures that have been independently verified and defined in an officially recognised quality catalogue for the benefit of their patients.

At the same time, proQura leads to lower costs for patients, as the participating doctors pass on most of the avantages on medicines to health insurers in order to reduce premiums.

As of today, more than 800 doctors from nine specialist areas are participating in proQura. Between 2020 and 2025, proQura has already saved almost CHF 50 million for the Swiss healthcare system.

With proQura, the FOPH and health insurers have full transparency regarding avantages on therapeutic products. proQura implements Art. 56 para. 3bis of the KVG and VITH for outpatient specialists. proQura is supported by all stakeholders (health insurers, doctors, industry) and has received favourable comments from the FOPH.

proQura is open to all outpatient specialists. Every doctor who participates in proQura contributes significantly to higher quality, lower fees and greater transparency.

More about proQura

 

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Oncosuisse: National Cancer Plan enters decisive phase

As part of its mandate to manage Oncosuisse, the umbrella organisation of Swiss cancer organisations, Pro Medicus is supporting the Oncosuisse Board in designing the National Cancer Plan.

In spring 2025, Oncosuisse was commissioned by the FOPH to draft and coordinate the National Cancer Plan. In the first phase, the priority areas for action were defined and approved by the FOPH Directorate in August 2025. The priority areas are as follows: early detection, access to optimal care, cancer survivorship, clinical research and patient data.

Preparations are currently underway for stakeholder workshops to define the implementation projects. For each topic area, the umbrella organisations and those affected will be involved in this important work in a structured process.

The main objective of Pro Medicus is to provide optimal support to the Executive Board and Oncosuisse members in this process and to define implementation projects that will have a positive impact on cancer patients and their families.

For more information on the Cancer Plan and Oncosuisse, see www.oncosuisse.ch.

 

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Correction regarding the report on proQura in the Sonntagsblick newspaper dated 24 August 2025

The article “Ärzte kassieren Millionenrabatte bei Medis” published in Sonntagsblick on 24 August 2025 contains a number of untruths and half-truths about pharmaceutical companies, doctors and proQura.

The facts are as follows

  • Since 2020, Art. 56 para. 3bis of the Swiss Health Insurance Act (KVG) and VITH have been in force in Switzerland. With these new provisions, the legislator wanted to make advantages on therapeutic products transparent and ensure that they are used to improve quality and reduce costs. The aim was and is to benefit patients and insured persons in particular: better quality at lower premiums.
  • proQura is a system for implementing these new provisions in the field of outpatient specialist doctors. proQura is neither a ‘purchasing organisation’ nor an ‘intermediary’ (as incorrectly claimed in Sonntagsblick). Rather, proQura is a quality system consisting of a comprehensive database, a scientifically based quality catalogue and a billing system. proQura is responsible for implementing the legal provisions on the passing on of advantages on therapeutic products for specialists working in private practice. Helsana’s statements in Sonntagsblick regarding non-transparent advantages refer to other players and their activities, which have nothing to do with proQura and are beyond our knowledge.
  • proQura handles the legally compliant implementation of advantages on therapeutic products and payments to health insurance companies for its affiliated doctors. All cash flows are disclosed to the FOPH and all health insurance companies in a completely transparent and detailed manner for each medical practice. For example, Helsana also has full insight into the advantages granted at any time, broken down by service provider, medication and individual billing line. In addition to this level of detail, it can also see how much of the advantages remain with the doctor and how much is passed on to it. This applies to all insurance companies: each health insurance company receives a precise report from proQura that complies with data protection regulations, down to the level of each service provider and each individual service invoice.
  • The FOPH certifies that proQura makes its reports completely transparent, including the advantages per service provider and their retention and transfer to the health insurance companies. The FDHA is showing interest in the system, which promises further savings for the healthcare system if more specialists, general practitioners, hospitals and others also join systems such as proQura.
  • All Swiss health insurers, more than 20 pharmaceutical companies and now almost 800 doctors are contractually affiliated with proQura.
  • The majority of the remedies stored with proQura with an advantage are generics and biosimilars. Thanks to proQura, cheaper imitation products are increasingly being used, which, in addition to the cost reduction mentioned above, has a significant effect on reducing premiums.
  • proQura is widely supported by all stakeholders, in particular the FOPH, health insurers, the FMH, medical associations, doctors and industry. Similar systems exist in hospitals and among general practitioners.

 

How does proQura work?

Pharmaceutical companies grant advantages on medicines. Participating doctors can retain a small portion of these advantages if they can prove that they are using this portion to improve quality. Doctors must pass on more than half of the advantage to health insurers in order to reduce health insurance premiums.

The quality measures implemented by doctors at proQura are based on a comprehensive quality catalogue developed by Pro Medicus in collaboration with the participating medical associations, which is reviewed annually by an independent institute for scientific evidence. This further raises the quality level of the Swiss healthcare system.

At the same time, the proQura system now generates tens of millions of pounds annually, which must be used by health insurers to reduce health insurance premiums. Between 2020 and 2025, proQura has already saved almost CHF 50 million for the Swiss healthcare system.

 

Conclusion

  • proQura helps to maintain the high quality standards of the Swiss healthcare system, significantly reduce costs and manage financing through advantages in a fair, transparent and trustworthy manner.

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New sponsorship for “in a nutshell”

Since 2018, the Swiss medical profession has been able to access “in a nutshell”

Read the communiqué >

Oncosuisse: Swiss Association Against Cancer gets new leadership

The board of Oncosuisse, an independent umbrella organization of eight renowned Swiss cancer organizations, has appointed M Sc Dominique Froidevaux as its new CEO. He will be supported in the area of policy by Prof. Dr. med. Roger von Moos. Dominique Froidevaux takes over from Dr. Michael Röthlisberger, who is leaving Oncosuisse at the end of February after many years of service. Dominique Froidevaux, who has experience in managing health associations, will lead the Swiss Cancer Association into the future.

Click here for the press release >

 

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SOHC: Second largest medical congress opens its doors soon

The Swiss Oncology & Haematology Congress (SOHC) will open its doors for the eighth time in November. Under the motto ‘Bridging the Gaps in Patient Care’, healthcare professionals from the fields of haematology and oncology will gather for the annual congress. With an average of 1,700 participants, the SOHC has established itself as the second largest medical congress in Switzerland.

The scientific programme was developed by 17 organisations active throughout Switzerland that are committed to science and social issues, and offers an attractive mix of science, continuing education and health policy. Together, the organisations and specialists want to contribute to better care and treatment for patients with haematological and oncological diseases.

For more information about the SOHC, see www.sohc.ch

 

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proQura has already saved more than CHF 11 million for the Swiss healthcare system

Since 2020, proQura has passed on more than CHF 11 million in savings on medicines to health insurers. The latter use this amount to reduce LAMal premiums. proQura applies the new provisions on passing on savings on medicines. The savings potential of proQura and other savings passing-on systems is considerable. In the near future, proQura alone will enable annual savings of tens of millions of Swiss francs.

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On our own behalf: We have merged

With retroactive effect from 1 January 2024, we merged Froidevaux & Partner GmbH with Pro Medicus GmbH. The new company operates under the name Pro Medicus GmbH. Froidevaux & Partner GmbH and Pro Medicus GmbH were both founded in 2010 and have established themselves in their respective fields of business – Froidevaux & Partner in consulting, Pro Medicus with services for the medical profession. The activities of the two companies have increasingly grown together. With the merger, we are also taking this into account in organisational terms.