[Financing endoluminal stent prostheses in abdominal aortic aneurysms]

Clinical testing of endovascular therapy of aortic aneurysm is at present going on in various hospitals. Because of their restricted budgets, breaking even is not possible for hospitals realising this method of treatment. Amongst technical difficulties, legal questions and the lack of long-term studies, the common use of this expensive method is complicated by unsolved financing. According to section 26 of the "Bundespflegesatzverordnung", a pilot study can be financed by the health insurances for a limited period, to evaluate the type of treatment with respect to its scientific and economic implications. This should result in an inclusion of the costs in the budget of "Sonderentgelte" and "Fallpauschalen". Even in times of low budgets medical progress must be available.