[Therapy costs at the hospital]

The inflation in hospital financing has fallen off. The new regulations brought in with the health reform law (Gesundheitsreformgesetz) could help to cut hospital running costs and lead to a more economical form of medical treatment. At present a prognosis of these cost reductions is not possible. The new list of charges for medical treatment (Bundespflegesatzverordnung) brought in by the government in 1986 also has helped in reducing expenditures. Especially the requirement for self-budgeting and performance-costing has lead to a reduced inflation rate in medical treatment costs. An effective control of medical treatment costs demands more management not only in administrative but also in medical areas as well. Improving hospital economy must not automatically lead to a reduction in the quality of the service provided.