[Inpatient rheumatology treatment in Germany]

Acute inpatient treatment plays an important role in the care of patients with rheumatic diseases in Germany. Inpatient facilities are usually departments in general hospitals or highly specialized clinics. The introduction of the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) system has led to a change in form which is most obviously characterized by more homogeneous structures and shorter hospital stays. Many rheumatic patients are, however, treated in general hospitals due to a lack of specialized clinics. The presence of a department of rheumatology in medical schools is deficient which therefore leads to only a small number of specialists in rheumatology. The rheumatologists in inpatient facilities are also involved in the care of outpatients, whereby the number of licensed internal medical rheumatologists is declining. Further possibilities in outpatient treatment in hospitals were created with new governmental regulations (§116b). Changes are expected with the implementation of the new outpatient specialist medical care (ASV).