Germany

Reimbursement of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for diagnosis and therapy control in retinal diseases will be available from October 2019 via the EBM (Einheitlicher Bewertungsmaβstab, German Uniform Evaluation Standard).

On behalf of the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated whether a systematic test of newborns for sickle cell disease (SCD) in Germany would make sense.

The insurance company AOK Saxony-Anhalt concluded that patients are much less frequently prescribed an antibiotic after the examination via a rapid test for a bacterial cause of the infection. In more than 40% of the tested patients, the doctors waived the antibiotics prescription.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has launched a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) imaging priority program "Radiomics: Next Generation Medical Imaging" (“Radiomics: Nächste Generation der medizinischen Bildgebung”). More than 8 million euros will flow into the program in the next three years. The program will be coordinated by the University Hospital Freiburg.

The fee negotiations for the coming year are over - the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) agreed on an increase in the monetary conversion factor for all medical and psychotherapeutic services in the amount of 1.52 percent. GKV-Spitzenverband and KBV have also agreed to sponsor the video consultations.

In order to diagnose pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, two new markers were included in the EBM catalog in early October 2019. The statutory health insurances then will take over the costs for the determination of the PIGF concentration and the sFlt-1 / PIGF quotient. In addition, another tumor marker for ovarian cancer will be included in the EBM.

At the beginning of August 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia presented the plans for “Virtual Hospital,” a digital platform that will bundle specialist expertise nationwide and make it more accessible.

A positive conclusion regarding the model project “Rhineland-Palatinate breathes through - telemedicine for healthy lungs” (“Rheinland-Pfalz atmet durch – Telemedizin für eine gesunde Lunge”) was drawn by the Mainz Ministry of Health.

The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has presented its second final report on the benefit assessment of vacuum therapy in wounds healing. The previous final report for vacuum therapy in the wounds healing by secondary intention was published by IQWiG in late March 2019.

Patients suffering from recurrent or long-lasting depression can be treated within a structured treatment program (Disease Management Program, DMP) in the future. The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) decided on the 15th of August 2019 the details on the content of the new DMP after more than three years of consulting.

The draft for a “Digital Supply Law,” approved by the Cabinet on July 10, 2019, promotes digitization in the health sector. Among other things, the law should help to accelerate the integration of digital applications into the standard care, to further develop and promote the use of the electronic patient record (ePA), to strengthen telemedicine and to connect more actors to the telematics infrastructure.

With the preventive program for pregnant women, "Hello Baby," premature births and infection-related birth complications should be minimized. Now, the program has been established nationwide: 60 health insurance companies offer to their approximately 6.5 million insured since July 1, 2019, the additional tests contained therein.