The Federal Joint Committee () refers to a group of
German public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...
agencies that were merged in 2004, under an independent chairman.
It is authorized to make binding regulations growing out of health reform bills passed by lawmakers, along with routine decisions regarding
healthcare in Germany
Germany has a universal Single-payer healthcare#History of the term, multi-payer health care system paid for by a combination of statutory health insurance (') and private health insurance (').
The #Economics, turnover of the national health se ...
.
Although the committee is not a subordinate agency and is independent of the
Ministry of Health, government officials are responsible for exercising legal supervision over the committee's decisions and guidelines. As a supreme decision-making body, the Committee exerts a direct influence on the healthcare provisions for millions of people.
History
The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) was formed in 2004 by the merger of the following organizations
* Bundesausschuss der Ärzte und Krankenkassen
(''Federal committee of Physicians and Health Insurers'')
* Bundesausschuss der Zahnärzte und Krankenkassen
(''Federal committee of Dentists and Health Insurers'')
* Koordinierungsausschuss
(''Federal coordination committee'')
* Ausschuss Krankenhaus
(''Hospital committee'')
These organizations had been created several decades ago to ensure supervision of the professional relationship between doctors and health insurers. Their roots can be partially traced back to the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
in the late-1910s and 1920s.
In 2004, they were renamed and merged into the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) as follows:
*
Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung und Kassenzahnärztliche Bundesvereinigung (''National Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and Dentists'')
* Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft (''German Hospital Federation'')
* GKV-Spitzenverband (''Central Federal Association of Health Insurance Funds'')
As a supreme decision-making body, the Joint Committee exerts a direct influence on the healthcare provisions for millions of people.
Decision-making process
In the early stages of the Committee's
decision-making
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the Cognition, cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be ...
process, assessment reports of diagnostic or therapeutic interventions are prepared by the
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care on behalf of the committee. All resolutions and guidelines passed by the Federal Joint Committee are subsequently audited by the
Ministry of Health.
The directives issued by the committee are legally binding for publicly insured persons as well as for the providers and payers of health care. In total, healthcare provisions for 70 million people, excluding those who are privately insured, are determined by the committee.
Notable guidelines
Following the
German acupuncture trials from 2002 to 2006, the Committee decided to include
acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
into the catalogue of services covered by statutory health insurance organizations for the treatment of low back pain and knee pain.
On June 17, 2010, the Committee removed the usage of
glinides from general prescription guidelines for the reduction of human
glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...
levels. It justified its decision by referring to the conclusion of the
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care that proof of efficacy was lacking.
In 2013, the Committee issued a preliminary decision ruling that a
fixed dose combination of
Stribild does not offer a benefit over
Atripla for HIV treatment.
See also
*
German Medical Association
References
External links
Official homepage
{{Authority control
Medical and health organisations based in Berlin