Original article
The idea behind the introduction of individual contractual elements such as drug discount agreements into the statutory health insurance system is to initiate quality and performance competition between the health insurance companies. The necessary basic prerequisite for this competition to function is performance differentiation and the perception of these differences by the consumer. Only then can the insured represent a demand-side corrective for the competitive result through their health insurance choices. The answers to a current population survey by the Allensbach Institute for Demoscopy show that these requirements are not met and that expectations with regard to the quality of the services offered and the quality of care are hardly justified. The prospects of eliminating existing information deficits on the consumer side through targeted communication strategies must be assessed differently for the different supply areas.
01.02.2010
Unter welchen Voraussetzungen telemedizinische Angebote medizinisch, wirtschaftlich und technisch sinnvoll sind und wie sie in den Leistungskatalog der Kassen aufgenommen werden können, war Thema der 14. TELEMED-Fachtagung.
18.12.2009
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Gerd Glaeske (Center for Social Policy at the University of Bremen) in the MVF cover interview
01.12.2009
The age of the insured alone does not explain the highly varying levels of diabetes care
01.12.2009
Wolfram-Arnim Candidus, President of the German Society of Insured Persons and Patients (DGVP) in an interview with MVF
01.12.2009
Dr. Stefan Etgeton (Federal Consumer Organization Association) and Dr. Klaus Meyer-Lutterloh (DGbG) in an MVF interview
01.12.2009
The growing global burden of cancer demands a more productive and efficient process for developing new therapies. The relatively low attrition rates of molecularly targeted cancer therapies suggest that efforts to accelerate development must start with a strong foundation of data and consensus methods for identifying biomarkers associated with cancer progression and treatment response. In addition, work is needed to improve the efficiency and consistency of trials in identifying therapies that meaningfully improve outcomes. Delivering on the promise of 21st Century cancer care will require a collaborative effort that engages all stakeholders in the cancer community - researchers, product developers, regulators, and patients.
01.12.2009
In the German healthcare system, too, the inflexible and almost anti-performance remuneration systems in the outpatient and inpatient sectors are repeatedly criticized. In particular, thanks to the Expert Council for the Assessment of Developments in the Health Care System in 2007 and the activities of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, an increasing dynamic towards P4P can now also be observed in Germany. In this context, the regulations on selective contracts play a special role. It is actually only logical to reward those who perform above average and/or those who have improved significantly. Experience with concepts mainly comes from the USA and Great Britain. The first approach presented here as an example was developed by the Integrated Health Association (IHA), an association of various healthcare players, in California. Another innovative approach in the European discussion is the reorganization of general practitioner remuneration in Great Britain. However, the situation is fundamentally different than in the American models, as this involves the distribution of additional money based on performance. Although there are still no valid evaluation results, the Advisory Council (SVR) found positive results in 21 of 28 studies. Accordingly, P4P is one of the most important developments in the international discussion in recent years.
01.12.2009
The aim of the present analysis is to compare treatment costs between insulin-glargine and NPH-insulin-based therapies in patients with diabetes mellitus. Using a representative sample of health insurance data, simultaneous co-medication in the indication groups bolus insulin, oral antidiabetics, test strips and lancets/needles over three calendar years was determined for a total of six payers. During the analysis period (2006 - 2008), the aggregated absolute annual treatment costs per diabetes patient for insulin glargine-based therapies tended to be slightly below the costs of the respective NPH comparison groups. The analysis of the individual costs shows that the higher procurement costs for insulin glargine are overcompensated by savings in bolus insulin and test strip consumption. The present database analysis confirms the results of previously published health care research studies, according to which, from the perspective of statutory health insurance (GKV), there is a cost-neutrality between insulin glargine and NPH insulin-based treatment regimens under real care conditions.
01.12.2009
Since 2009, the health insurance companies that compete with each other for care have had to conclude common and uniform collective agreements for the remuneration of medical services on the basis of very narrow centralized guidelines. One way out of bringing innovation into care is to conclude individual health insurance selective contracts. At the same time, since 2009, all health insurance companies have been obliged to offer their insured persons particularly qualified family doctor-centered care on a voluntary basis. In order to prevent double financing of services, these selective contracts require an adjustment of the jointly and uniformly determined collective remuneration. The article shows which procedures are useful here in order to achieve a fair coexistence of collective system and selective contracts with the aim of innovation capability for the supply structures.