Healthcare reforms in Germany will lead to a significant decline in the use of diagnostic tests
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The planned reform of the reimbursement schedule for outpatient laboratory services in Germany could represent a serious threat to the quality of patient care. The diagnostics industry association, the VDGH, claims that the changes may accelerate the negative growth trend in the laboratory sector, where 1998 spending only amounted to DM2.28 billion ($1.34 billion), 2.1% less than in 1997.