title: Profile of the West German health care system.
abstract: The health care system of the Federal Republic of Germany is characterized by comprehensive statutory insurance coverage, regulated fees for physicians' and hospitals' services, and strict separation between hospital care and ambulatory care provided by office-based physicians. This separation results in excessively long hospital length-of-stay, complicated by a non-uniform financing system of setting hospital rates on the basis of retrospective costs. While equal access to care is guaranteed under the health insurance scheme, reform proposals advocate modifying the system in the direction of increased competition.
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000266:history*; D005860:Germany, West; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006291:Health Policy; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution