Lesson 1.3 · 6 min

From 2028: the BIQG takes over

Open in the coursewith narrated slides, a checklist to tick off and a quiz

At a glance

Federal Law Gazette I No. 64/2026. With this act, published on 29 July 2026, quality control of dentists moves to the federal institute, the BIQG, from 1 January 2028.
Every five years, and for cause. The BIQG evaluates every five years unless the regulation sets something shorter, and checks the self-evaluation by sample visits.
Stays with the chamber. The Dental Chamber keeps running the self-evaluation with electronic forms and passes the forms and results to the BIQG.
A disciplinary complaint, at once. If an order to fix a deficiency isn't met, it goes to the disciplinary prosecutor without delay. Hygiene deficiencies go to the district authority.
The criteria regulation. The criteria from 2028 are set by the health minister by regulation. On 7 October 2026 it hadn't been issued, and no draft could be found.

In detail

What changes

The Dental Quality Assurance Act 2026 (Zahnärztequalitätssicherungsgesetz 2026, Federal Law Gazette I No. 64/2026), published on 29 July 2026, amends the Health Quality Act (GQG), the Dentists Act, the Dental Chamber Act and the ASVG. The amended provisions of the GQG entered into force on 1 July 2026 and apply from 1 January 2028 § 11(4) GQG.

The evaluation by the BIQG

The Federal Institute for Quality in Health Care (BIQG) evaluates dentists in private practice and dental group practices every five years, unless the regulation sets a shorter interval, and also for cause. It checks the results of the self-evaluation by sample visits to practices § 8a(1) GQG.

On top comes the specific evaluation: visits on a justified request from the health minister and other authorities, the Dental Chamber, the social insurance funds and their umbrella body, or the patients' representative § 8a(1) GQG.

The self-evaluation stays

The self-evaluation remains a duty of every practice § 22(1) ZÄG. The Dental Chamber runs it electronically with specialist evaluation forms and passes the forms and results to the BIQG. The stored data must be deleted after 15 years § 8a(4a) GQG. The BIQG puts everything into a quality control register § 8a(5) GQG.

When there are deficiencies

The BIQG orders them fixed, with a reasonable deadline where needed, and checks, by a visit too, especially if terminating the insurer contract is being considered.
If the order isn't met, the BIQG files a disciplinary complaint without delay with the Dental Chamber's disciplinary prosecutor.
If a deficiency concerns hygiene (§ 36(1) no. 1 ZÄG), the BIQG also informs the district authority in writing § 8a(2) GQG.

A representative of patients' interests and of social insurance may take part in sample visits, specific evaluations and checks; the Dental Chamber, or on its behalf the existing quality assurance institution, also has a right to attend § 8a(3) GQG.

Obstruction costs money

From 2028, obstructing the BIQG's inspection rights is an administrative offence: up to €5,000, or up to €7,000 if repeated § 10(3) GQG.

What is still missing

The criteria, the procedure and the register are set by the health minister by regulation, with a validity period of five years, after consulting the Scientific Advisory Board and the Dental Chamber § 9b(2) GQG. It may be issued from 1 July 2026 and enters into force on 1 January 2028 § 11(4) GQG. On 7 October 2026 it had not been issued, and no draft could be found. Until then, the 15 criteria of the ÖZÄK-QSV 2022 are the best guide.

Checklist

We know that the BIQG evaluates and inspects from 1 January 2028.
We know that visits can also come at the request of the insurer or the patients' representative.
We know that an unmet order to fix a deficiency leads straight to a disciplinary complaint.
We watch for the criteria regulation under § 9b(2) GQG to appear.
Until then we work through the 15 criteria of the ÖZÄK-QSV 2022.

Quiz

What does the BIQG do from 2028 if an order to fix a deficiency isn't met?

It sets a second deadline
It terminates the insurer contract itself
It files a disciplinary complaint without delay
It imposes a fine of up to €40,000

Show the answer

The answer is C: It files a disciplinary complaint without delay. If the order to fix a deficiency is not met, the BIQG must file a disciplinary complaint with the Dental Chamber's disciplinary prosecutor without delay (§ 8a(2) GQG).

Sources

This lesson's statements rest on:

Not legal advice. What counts is the acts and regulations in the Federal Legal Information System and the Austrian Dental Chamber's regulations (read on 7 October 2026). The health minister's regulation with the criteria from 2028 (§ 9b(2) GQG) had not been issued on that day. Not covered are insurer contracts, billing, data protection in detail and the employer's duties under the Worker Protection Act in detail; there is a separate course on those at aschg.globalapps.top. Not an offer of the Austrian Dental Chamber, a regional dental chamber, the BIQG or the Chamber of Commerce.