German homecare association joins devices group:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The German federal association for homecare (bvhc) last week voted to join the industry association for medical devices (BVMed), with a view to increasing its political influence within the healthcare market. BVMed has agreed to set up a homecare subdivision which will represent and oversee the bvhc's interests, covering legal rights, diabetes care, parenteral feeding, modern wound care, respiratory care, stoma/incontinence and medical aids for care homes. "We must be ready to respond to the increasingly pressurised situation in the healthcare sector. The synergy allows us to effectively combat the restrictive attitudes of the sickness funds with regard to reimbursement," said bvhc chairman Andreas Rudolph. The merger boosts BVMed's membership to over 200, representing a yearly turnover of DM8 billion ($3.5 billion).