Device industry seeks to redefine home care:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The concept of home care and the role of the home care industry are increasingly misunderstood in Germany, claims the medical device industry association, BVMed. Since officially absorbing the federal association for home care (Bundesverband Homecare) at the start of the year, BVMed has been keen to highlight its role in improving the quality of life, whilst reducing treatment costs. "Home care is more than just nursing, it involves caring and providing therapy to a patient at home of the same quality they would receive in a hospital," said BVMed director Joachim Schmitt. He added that home care was carried out by qualified professionals who were required to explain the therapeutic procedure to the patient. The association considers a re-evaluation of the role of home care to be of particular importance because given Germany's ageing population and the introduction of the new DRG system for hospital reimbursement, which is aimed at cutting the length of hospital stay.