[Health economic evaluation of rehabilitation programmes in the "rehabilitation sciences" research funding programme in Germany]. / Gesundheitsökonomische Evaluation von Rehabilitationsprogrammen im Förderschwerpunkt Rehabilitationswissenschaften.

A main problem of the German rehabilitation sector is to meet the increasing demand for rehabilitation treatment while available resources are scarce. Thus, health economic evaluation is gaining more importance for decision making in the rehab system. In the "Rehabilitation Sciences" research funding programme the relevance of health economic analyses was recognised from the outset. In nearly all regional networks health economic analyses were conducted - though with different scope. In the first funding period the main focus of health economic evaluation was on (1) patient education programmes and (2) the comparison of inpatient versus outpatient rehabilitation. The projects of the research funding programme have initialised health economic evaluation of rehabilitation in Germany. It was shown that health economics can contribute relevant results for designing rehabilitation concepts. The article concludes with an outlook on the main future questions of rehab economic evaluation.

[Economic efficiency of outpatient rehabilitation -- final results of a study in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]. / Wirtschaftlichkeit ambulanter Rehabilitation -- Abschliessende Ergebnisse eines Projektes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

This article presents the final results of a project comparing the economic effects of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The data analysed have been derived from the total population of applicants for orthopaedic-traumatologic rehabilitation who are suitable for outpatient rehabilitation in all criteria. The randomized and controlled study at first verified whether the outcome parameters of the two variants of rehabilitation are approximately equal. If this condition is fulfilled the differences between amounts and periods of payments and costs incumbent on the pension insurance agency are analyzed. And in fact, the final results confirm that, in suitable patients, outpatient rehabilitation can achieve approximately the same outcomes as inpatient rehabilitation -- but at distinctly lower cost.

[Comparing the economy of outpatient versus inpatient rehabilitation]. / Wirtschaftlichkeitsvergleich ambulante versus stationäre Rehabilitation.

This article outlines the findings of a project comparing the economic effects of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The study statistically covers the total population of applicants for orthopaedic-traumatologic rehabilitation who are suitable for outpatient rehabilitation. As a randomised and controlled study, it compares outcome parameters of the two variants of rehabilitation. Because the results are approximately equal, analysing the differences between amounts and periods of payments and costs for the pension insurance agency do not result in disadvantages for the patients. The results obtained from the investigation confirm that, in suitable patients, outpatient rehabilitation can achieve approximately the same outcomes as inpatient rehabilitation--but at distinctly lower cost.

[Economic aspects of outpatient rehabilitation--methods and results of a study about economic efficiency of outpatient rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]. / Wirtschaftliche Aspekte der ambulanten Rehabilitation - Methodische Ansätze und Zwischenergebnisse aus einem Projekt zur Wirtschaftlichkeit ambulanter Rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Since the recent changes in the German social code the outpatient rehabilitation system gains importance. While more and more studies investigate the medical outcomes of outpatient rehabilitation, the economic effects have hardly been examined so far. This article first presents fundamental methods to use for economic evaluation of outpatient rehabilitation and subsequently outlines the findings of a project comparing the economic effects of outpatient and inpatient rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The study statistically covers the total population of applicants for orthopaedic-traumatologic rehabilitation who are suitable for outpatient rehabilitation. A randomized and controlled study, it investigates outcome parameters of the two variants of rehabilitation compared. If the results are approximately equal, the differences between amounts and periods of payments and costs for the pension insurance agency are analyzed. And in fact, the results obtained so far from the investigation confirm that, in suitable patients, outpatient rehabilitation can achieve approximately the same outcomes as inpatient rehabilitation - but at distinctly lower costs. Although in the short term (i. e., at the end of treatment) outcome levels are somewhat lower, better results found even one year later however indicate a more sustained effect.