Health care costs of home care enzyme replacement therapy for patients with lysosomal storage diseases in Germany.

Background: Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) can be treated with intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). ERT is being administered either in specialized clinics or in the home care setting. Studies indicate that home-based ERT can be considered safe and positively effects patient reported outcomes.

Agreement between self-reports and statutory health insurance claims data on healthcare utilization in patients with mental disorders.

Background: Data on resource use are frequently required for healthcare assessments. Studies on healthcare utilization (HCU) in individuals with mental disorders have analyzed both self-reports and administrative data. Source of data may affect the quality of analysis and compromise the accuracy of results.

Versorgung geriatrischer Krankheitsbilder unter ausgewählten ambulanten Facharztgruppen: Kombination von Befragungs- und GKV-Routinedaten zur Abbildung des Leistungsgeschehens.

Background: In light of an aging population, the German health system faces the challenge of adapting regional health care structures to the changing care needs of geriatric patients. Since geriatric care is interprofessional, a structural analysis of the service providers involved is required. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the primary and joint care responsibilities for geriatric patients with specific characteristics, to estimate the associated effort for selected outpatient medical service providers and to identify resulting care concentrations.

The patients` perspective on home-based infusion: A longitudinal observational study in the German healthcare setting for patients with lysosomal storage disorders treated with enzyme replacement therapy.

Background: Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), metabolic disorders resulting in build-up of endogenous waste and progressive organ damage, can be treated with intravenous enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). ERT can be administered either in specialized clinics, at a physician's office or in the home care setting. Legislative goals in Germany strive to shift to more outpatient care while maintaining treatment objectives.

Cost analysis of hospitalized Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).

Aim: Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) causes heavy financial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. As with all hospital-acquired infections, prolonged hospital stays are the main cost driver. Previous cost studies only include hospital billing data and compare the length of stay in contrast to non-infected patients.

Improving hospital hygiene to reduce the impact of multidrug-resistant organisms in health care--a prospective controlled multicenter study.

Background: Nosocomial infections are the most common complication during inpatient hospital care. An increasing proportion of these infections are caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This report describes an intervention study which was designed to address the practical problems encountered in trying to avoid and treat infections caused by MDROs.