[Models of quality management for medical rehabilitation centers]

Since the beginning of the 1990s more and more health institutions have decided for certification based on the standard DIN/ISO 9000-9004. Besides this trend the introduction of quality management systems employing a combination of internal and external evaluation processes is constantly gaining importance. Institutions of medical rehabilitation are increasingly aiming at the implementation of quality management systems as well as obtaining certification. Taking into account the currently prevailing basic conditions, the following will therefore submit various quality management models. The feasibility of applying these models to the medical rehabilitation sector as well as their potential contribution to the further development of medical rehabilitation will be analyzed. Following this discussion, the relationship of the described models to the Quality Assurance Programme as currently implemented by the German Pension Insurance will be discussed.