Randerath WJ, Kriegmair M, Markewitz A, Rodeck B, Schmitz-Rixen T, Scharl A, Nothacker M. [
Specialist clinics - definition: proposal for the discussion from the ad hoc committee on care structures by the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) for the reform of hospital care].
Ger Med Sci 2023;
21:Doc11. [PMID:
37599858 PMCID:
PMC10436733 DOI:
10.3205/000325]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Specialist clinics play an important role in inpatient care in the German healthcare system. They are characterized by a high degree of specialization and expertise and are described in numerous medical disciplines. However, a generally accepted legal definition of specialist clinics has so far been lacking. The ad hoc committee of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) for the reform of hospital care in Germany, therefore, presents proposals for a definition, a description of quality characteristics, and an allocation to care levels. In the opinion of the committee, three aspects are necessary for the definition of specialist clinics: a high total number of patients treated, a high proportion of the disease entities attributable to the specialist area according to diagnosis and services, and structural characteristics. The definition proposed here is intended to help the political decision-makers in the federal and state governments to standardize according to medical-scientific criteria.
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