Archive:
Impressions from the Capital Congress 2025 in Berlin
04.08.2025
In the run-up to the 24th German Congress for Health Services Research, which will be held in Hamburg this year, "Monitor Health Services Research" spoke with DKVF Congress President, Professor Dr. med. Horst Christian Vollmar MPH, Head of the Department of General Medicine (AM RUB) at Ruhr University Bochum. In the cover interview of "Monitor Health Services Research," he discusses the origins of the congress theme, "Future Competence for a Resilient Health System" (1), the current challenges facing our health system, and the key messages the DKVF aims to convey. The congress, which will take place for the first time this year in Hamburg at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) from September 22nd to 24th, is a major event.
04.08.2025
An overview of current developments and results of the dt-report
04.08.2025
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), defined as blood loss ≥500 ml within 24 hours of birth, is one of the most common causes of maternal mortality worldwide. In Germany, PPH occurred in 7.8% of the 693,000 births in 2023. In addition to medical therapy and uterine (balloon) tamponade, a vacuum-induced uterine compression (VUC) procedure has been available since 2024, enabling rapid hemostasis. Innovations such as VUC and the associated costs are initially not reflected in the DRG flat-rate fees in the inpatient sector, which is why additional fees are necessary for refinancing. At the same time, the product costs can be offset by resource-saving effects (including shorter lengths of stay, reduction in surgical procedures). To demonstrate these effects and evaluate them in monetary terms, a model was conducted: A resource saving in the DRG system leads to a downgrade of the DRG. Thus, a one-level reduction in the most common DRG results in a cost reduction of €983.24. The recent establishment of a specific procedure code for VUT will enable real-world analyses based on billing data in the future, as well as the long-term adjustment of case rates.
04.08.2025
Hospitals in Germany are often accused of over-provision and inadequate care due to unnecessary services and redundant locations. Drivers of this assumption are issues such as outpatient care and centralization. However, under-provision, which can result not only from a lack of capacity but also from a lack of competition between locations, is rarely considered. Competition for the best outcomes, however, would be a strong driver of high-quality healthcare. Data from the Federal Hospital Atlas were used to examine competition for typical treatment needs, the possibility of escalating emergency levels, and regional alternatives for special needs. For this purpose, a radius of 20, 30, and 50 kilometers was created around each location. For almost 30% of all treatment needs, a location lacked a competitor. This revealed strong regional differences between densely populated regions such as Berlin, Hamburg, and North Rhine-Westphalia, with almost consistent competition, and eastern, remote states, with a predominance of locations without alternative providers. An escalation of the emergency level would have been possible for more than 90% (from 1 to 2 or 3) or almost 80% (from 2 to 3) of the locations, provided the treatment situation had required it. Co-provision by neighboring states was particularly relevant for emergencies in Rhineland-Palatinate and Schleswig-Holstein (with escalation from 2 to 3). Alternative locations for certified facilities were predominantly found. However, the proportion of locations without competition in oncology depended heavily on the entity, being low for breast and colorectal cancer and high for stomach and bladder cancer. Overall, the results show that in Germany, neither regional aspects nor treatment reasons are equivalent living conditions in healthcare, especially when considering competition for quality. The discussion on eliminating potential over-provision and misprovision of inpatient services must therefore urgently be supplemented by the aspect of building additional capacity to compensate for undersupply.
04.08.2025
After more than 30 years of development, physician networks represent a promising approach to strengthening outpatient care in Germany. In light of growing supply bottlenecks, demographic change, and a growing need for interprofessional collaboration, they are increasingly becoming the focus of health policy. The resulting network structure is extremely heterogeneous, both in terms of structure, maturity, and actual effectiveness. This article analyzes the current state of development of physician networks in Germany, identifies key success factors, and explores their future potential. Using selected best-practice examples, it demonstrates the conditions under which physician networks can not only contribute to improving care but also function as economically viable business models. This provides concrete recommendations for action to further develop physician networks and establish them as a strategic management instrument in the healthcare system.
04.08.2025
The term "primary care system" encompasses various systems in which a designated primary care physician must be consulted before seeking specialist care. The introduction of a mandatory, nationwide primary care system to promote targeted care and rapid appointment scheduling in Germany was recently agreed upon as part of the coalition agreement for the 2025–2029 legislative period, although the specific design is still being discussed. Below, we compare the design of primary care systems in nine European countries and Israel and derive implications for Germany.
04.08.2025
Following Saarland, which introduced the role of a care representative in May 2013, and Bavaria, which established the office of a patient and care representative in November 2013, the state of Berlin has also had a care representative since June 2024. Although the final appointment has yet to be made, Prof. Dr. Sinja H. Meyer-Rötz has temporarily assumed the newly created position, thus implementing an important point of its coalition agreement: explicitly appointing a contact person for those in need of care and their families. "This task is a top priority for me and is a matter close to my heart," explains Prof. Meyer-Rötz in her first monitoring report (1).
02.06.2025
"IGES can become the brand for health policy analyses in the most important continental European countries" (Häussler). "Now, with IGES, we have the almost unique opportunity to further internationalize and collaborate even more closely" (Rittweger). The head of the IGES Group and the managing director of athagoras have ambitious visions for the future importance of their two consulting groups in the European market. Prof. Dr. Bertram Häussler, head of the IGES Group, aims to be "one of the leading providers of services in the healthcare sector" in just five years.
02.06.2025
Regarding the differing assessments of ESMO and IQWiG on pembrolizumab/„Keytruda“