Publication of supply data in the area of medical aids from the AmbulanzPartner network

A first scientific evaluation of aggregated care data from the Outpatient Partner Network was published this month in “Der Nervenarzt” – the official publication of the German Society of Neurology (DGN).


The publication analyzes data on the provision of assistive devices for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the period from June 2011 to August 2014. Data from 1,479 ALS patients from the ALS outpatient clinics at the BG-Klinikum Bergmannsheil in Bochum, the Charité in Berlin, Hannover Medical School and Jena University Hospital were collected and analyzed.


For the first time, the data from the digitized care processes provide an independent direct comparison of the services provided by health insurance companies in the area of medical aids for insured persons with ALS. The comparison of five common statutory health insurers showed major differences in the latency of care and the refusal rate for medical aids. There were no indications of “two-tier medicine” in favor of private health insurance.


The data presented on rejection rates and delay times in the provision of medical aids by individual payers may in future represent an independent decision-making criterion for switching within the statutory health insurance system.


The publication is available via unrestricted and free access for scientific information (open access): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00115-015-4398-2