[Interfaces in outpatient and inpatient rheumatological treatment]

In healthcare the term interface describes the communication and the sharing of responsibilities between different aspects of medical care und the different professional groups in medicine. It enables cooperation without conflicts and can contribute to an improvement of healthcare and reduce healthcare costs. The postgraduate professional education, medical guidelines and therapy recommendations are an important basis for the definition of interfaces. The definition of such an interface between different healthcare groups is essential for the implementation of selective contracts with health insurance companies. An appropriate health care interface between general practitioners and rheumatologists has been defined as well as between hospital and ambulant rheumatology treatment. The division of responsibilities between orthopedists and rheumatologists is still under discussion. A proposal for such an interface from the point of view of rheumatology is presented.