German hospital finance reform improves access to medical
technologies
19 December 2008
The German parliament has paved the way for the use of more
innovative medical technologies with the passing of the Hospital
Financing Reform Act (Krankenhausfinanzierungsreformgesetz, KHRG)
yesterday.
An amendment to the innovation clause (section 6 of the Hospital
Reimbursement Act) will now offer hospitals the opportunity to request
the reimbursement of innovative technologies for a patient of the health
insurance funds in a flexible way instead of linking it to a set
deadline, according to BVMed, the German medical technology association.
"This is an important step towards an efficient and modern type of
healthcare," said BVMed Director General and member of the board Joachim
M Schmitt.
The innovation clause was the right decision made by the lawmakers,
says BVMed. However, in practice little usage had been made of the
reimbursement provided by the clause due to problems with its
implementation. The decision made yesterday was a significant
improvement, making the application and assessment procedure for new
examination and treatment methods (Neue Untersuchungs - und
Behandlungsmethoden, NUB) more transparent and less bureaucratic.
At the end of January 2009 the German Institute for Hospital
Reimbursement (InEK, Institut für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus) will
publish its assessment of the reimbursement of NUB applications made in
2008.
Previously, applications had to be made individually by those
hospitals that wanted to offer innovative therapies to their patients
and before patients could benefit from an InEK approval of new types of
therapy they had to wait for up to a year. This was due to the fact that
hospitals could only submit the application for reimbursement of the NUB
with the healthcare funds once a year at the end of their budget
negotiations. And these usually take place during the year, BVMed
explained.
Experts regarded this regulation as a significant obstacle for
innovation and a healthcare gap. "This procedure has led to a
slowing-down of the speed of innovation in Germany, and in addition,
systematic injustice in patient care results. This is due to the fact
that innovations were available only for those patients who were lucky
to be treated not at the beginning of the year but in autumn after the
budgets had been authorised," said BVMed. The lawmakers also noticed
this deplorable state of affairs.
The application procedure for the financing of innovations in the
hospital sector will therefore be made more flexible. Remunerations can
be agreed on earlier and independently of the agreement of the revenue
budget, the proposal for amendment states.
BVMed concludes: "Hospitals will now be able to settle new methods and
innovative medical technologies independently of their yearly budget
negotiations and in this way can use these methods and offer them to the
patient immediately."
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