Health reform 2000 - impact on inpatient care provision

The health reform 2000 in Germany has little impact on the structural defic its of the German health service. The monopolies of hospitals for inpatient and of contract doctors for outpatient care are not changed. The budgeting of hospitals remains. In future there will be a catalog of operations that may only be carried out on an outpatient basis. The duty for quality assur ance is specified and intensified. Implementation of innovative medical tre atments in hospital will to be done only under strict control of a new coun trywide committee. A new DRG-based price system for hospitals will be estab lished.