[Effects of health policy mandates on ambulatory care in Germany]

For the last few years health politicians in Germany have passed a number of health care reform plans which have the aim to increase efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and quality in the area of health care services in order to reduce the costs of health care supply. A strategy is a shift from hospital to home. Recently passed health care measures follow this paradigm. In politics and sciences the consequences of these measures are mainly discussed for the doctors. On the basis of an analysis of Anglo-Saxon literature this article discusses the effects of health political measures on home care and asks which are the chances and possible developments for home care. The results show that home care can benefit from the developments in health care. Home care can take a central function and part in the process of change in the German health care system. Home care can take on tasks in the area of coordination of home health care and cooperation of multidisciplinary teams. Home health care must develop into a modern service profession, which takes an active part in the process of reorganisation of the German health care system.