Changes in the reimbursement of outpatient surgeries in 2024 in Germany

On December 20, 2023, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) announced that from January 1, 2024, the catalog for ambulatory operations in hospitals (AOP catalog) will be significantly expanded – 171 interventional procedures will be included in the catalog.

Together with the first expansion of the AOP catalog, which has been in effect since the beginning of 2023, in 2024, there would be a possibility to provide, in total, 3,312 services on an outpatient basis in hospitals or by physicians in private practices. At the same time, this step supports the upcoming hospital reform as more outpatient surgeries relieve pressure on both staff and bed capacities in the hospitals.

Also, the AOP contract, which regulates the conditions of the provision of ambulatory operations in hospitals, was updated. It will come into force on January 1, 2024. The contract was supplemented by defined urological material costs (§ 9 paragraph 5 of the AOP contract). The other existing regulations for reimbursing material costs remain unchanged.

The full details in German can be found here and here.

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