[Participation of representatives for patients in the Federal Joint Committee. Results of qualitative interviews]

The GMG (Law Modernizing the German Health Care System) was introduced in 2004. It resulted in considerable changes concerning the possibility for patients to participate in decisions in the German health care system. For the first time representatives of patients in the restructured Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), elected by patients and patient-organizations, were institutionalized by law. In later legislation, this route was further pursued: GKV-WSG and the VAndG of 2007. A previous quantitative study performed by the Institute for Health Economics and Clinical Epidemiology of the University of Cologne in 2006 provided some information on the degree of the involvement of patient representatives in the decision-making process of the G-BA. The present study is an attempt to extend this information by further in-depth interviews. The qualitative interviews of patient representatives in the G-BA unravelled a basic need for improvement of their financial and structural resources. This would lead to consequences in nearly all areas of patient participation--beginning with the quality of the patient representatives' contributions, the role within the G-BA and subsequently their role in public relations. It can be concluded that health politicians can be influenced only gradually in a process of permanent discussions on these issues.