Original article
At the so-called marketplace of the 14th German Congress for Health Services Research (DKVF), where service providers and data providers in the field of health services research and management could present themselves, two congress participants often stood alone and isolated. While they were certainly adept at handling data, health services researchers all too often say that obtaining data from these civil servants is nearly impossible. Dr. Jochen Dreß and Dirk Hellthaler from the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) in Cologne addressed this perhaps overly hasty and simplistic prejudice in an interview with "Monitor Health Services Research." DIMDI is part of the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and operates the "Health Services Data Information System" on its behalf, in accordance with the Data Transparency Act.
31.03.2015
The example of back pain shows that sensible medicine is not the norm in a superlative healthcare system: Doctors take too many X-rays for acute pain, but too rarely use combined, activating treatment programs when the pain becomes chronic. Over-, under- or incorrect medical care creates unnecessary suffering and unnecessary costs. The “Together Smart Decisions (GKE)” initiative of the AWMF (Association of Scientific Medical Societies eV) and its currently 171 member societies is intended to protect against this.
31.03.2015
The severe measles outbreak in 2015 brought the supply of vaccines in Germany to the forefront of public attention. Since the vaccination behavior of the population in Germany is not comprehensively documented, an assessment of the supply situation is limited. An analysis of statutory health insurance (SHI) vaccine prescriptions can contribute to understanding the current market situation and regional differences in supply.
31.03.2015
Ministerial Director Norbert Paland, head of the "Budget/Telematics" department at the Federal Ministry of Health, and as such responsible for the telematics infrastructure, presented the guideline for the coming weeks and months in the area of the telematics infrastructure, which has been deteriorating in Germany for years, at the arvato Healthcare Roundtable in Berlin – under the lecture title: "The patient at the center – illusion, reality or future".
31.03.2015
The establishment of the Innovation Fund at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is the outstanding feature of the German Statutory Health Insurance Strengthening Act (GKV-VSG) (§92a, b), which is intended to serve the evaluation of structural changes in the healthcare system and healthcare research. It is specifically designed to test innovative, cross-sectoral projects that can then be integrated into standard care. A panel of experts discussed the more detailed aspects at the 14th Annual Congress of the German Network for Healthcare Research.
31.03.2015
Pain is a multifaceted issue. It is a multi-professional issue. It is a socio-political issue. All of this became abundantly clear at the Second Pain Forum of the German Pain Society (DSG), where DSG President Prof. Dr. Michael Schäfer advocated for "local, comprehensive, and easily accessible pain care." His demand, along with references to the consensus paper jointly adopted by all pain societies, which outlines a tiered pain care system in Germany, and to the recent resolutions of the Joint Health Conference (GMK) on pain care and the establishment of an ad-hoc commission to create a pain atlas that will correlate the current state of pain care with actual pain care needs, resonated with the representatives from science, research, and the medical profession, as well as from politics and nursing.
31.03.2015
The Innovation Fund offers significant opportunities for structural changes and process innovations in the healthcare system, as well as for prospective and accompanying healthcare research. It can thus contribute considerably to the further establishment of healthcare research as a field. How well are these opportunities being utilized? Many mistakes can be made. The first round is underway. How sound are the initial decisions? What trends and directions can be identified? Which applications and applicants have the best chances? What are the next steps? The 6th MVF Conference, "Innovation Fund 2016: The First Round," on March 8, 2016, will provide the answers.
31.03.2015
Harald Möhlmann gehört als Geschäftsführer Versorgungsmanagement der AOK Nordost (ehemals AOK Berlin-Brandenburg) zu den profiliertesten deutschen Kassenmanagern. Er versteht seine Managementtätigkeit als Verpflichtung, die ihm anvertraute Versorgung der bei seiner Kasse versicherten Menschen aktiv zu verbessern. Das ist gerade bei einer Kasse, die vornehmlich in den Ländern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Brandenburg sowie Berlin vertreten ist, aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Strukturen der Gesundheitsversorgung nicht so einfach und braucht deshalb ein gehöriges Maß einerseits an Fingerspitzengefühl, andererseits bei aller gebotenen Vorsicht an Durchsetzungs- und Gestaltungswillen, denn, so Möhlmann im Titelinterview mit „Monitor Versorgungsforschung“: „Wir spielen nicht mit Versorgung.“
31.03.2015
Statement Dr. medical Michael Überall, German Pain League, on the substitution exclusion list
31.03.2015
Statement Dr. Martin Zentgraf, Federal Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (BPI)