Structured Outpatient Education and Treatment Programs for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and/or Hypertension The German Experience

摘要

Disease management programs have been implemented into the German healthcare system. According torecent legislation they must include structured treatment and teaching programs for patients with diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension. This paper provides an overview of the current situation in Germany. Office-based physicians have been remunerated for providing structured treatment and teaching programs for outpatients with diabetes mellitus since 1991. Four different programs have been implemented into the German healthcare system up until now. Over 80% of the physicians rated the training courses as 'very good' or 'good' and 90% rated the teaching material as 'very good' or 'good'. Remuneration amounts were up to 130 euros per patient and completed course. Data collected on patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs at the treatment level. The results also demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of the implementation of programs as an integral part of disease management in routine primary healthcare for patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension.