[Implementing integrated health care--current state and progress].

Abstract

The legal framework for Integrated Health Care since 2004 offers many opportunities for health professionals and insurers in the competition for "high quality care". Germany's largest statutory health insurance fund, BARMER, has already developed around 100 Integrated Health Care Projects for a wide range of conditions. One important issue is the relationship to disease management programs. Our program "integrated cardiological care" combines both DMP and integrated health care and thus already shows good results with respect to patient acceptance as well as savings trough the changing patterns in interventional cardiology.