title: ["The right to know": are patients having mandatory health insurance in Germany entitled to receive diagnostic services that have no medical consequences?].
abstract: Patients have the right to know whether they are ill and what the nature of their disease is. Apart from general preventive health examinations introduced by the Federal Joint Committee they are not eligible to diagnostic testing when there are no symptoms. Actual suspicion of disease, though, entitles them to diagnostic testing services as long as the diagnostic work-up does not show that further testing is useless in terms of cure, mitigation or prevention of disease and its symptoms. The Social Code Book V (SGB V) does not provide for an independent right of information of medical staff, for example, to prevent their acquisition of infection. But if the insured claims a medical service associated with a specific risk for the medical personnel, e.g. in case of an infectious disease, mandatory testing for such a risk can be administered.
authors.affiliation: Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, Berlin. dominik.roters@g-ba.de
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roters
mesh_terms: D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005858:Germany; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures