[Quality in statutory outpatient care: a modular system with varying approaches].

How is quality supported and what voluntary activities are there in the German statutory healthcare sector? Especially in outpatient healthcare, with a high proportion of chronic diseases treated that can significantly impair one's quality of life, quality of care is of utmost importance. We provide an overview of quality assurance measures that statutorily practicing doctors and psychotherapists (must) oblige to. Voluntary activities from third parties like doctor-specific associations and critical incidence reporting systems (CIRS) are presented alongside tools and services provided by the National and Regional Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians as well as the implications of "Richtlinien" (directives) from the Federal Joint Committee and of "Qualitätssicherungsvereinbarungen" (quality assurance agreements) from the Joint Committee Quality Assurance.

Patient satisfaction with ambulatory care in Germany: effects of patient- and medical practice-related factors.

Objective: The study aimed to illustrate the effect of the patients' sex, age, self-rated health and medical practice specialization on patient satisfaction.

Design: Secondary analysis of patient survey data using multilevel analysis (generalized linear mixed model, medical practice as random effect) using a sequential modelling strategy. We examined the effects of the patients' sex, age, self-rated health and medical practice specialization on four patient satisfaction dimensions: medical practice organization, information, interaction, professional competence.

Feasibility of 48 quality indicators in ambulatory care in Germany: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians develops quality indicators (QIs) for ambulatory care in Germany. This study explores the feasibility of a total of 48 QIs.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational study with primary data collection in writing from medical practices in 10 specialist fields of outpatient care.

[AQUIK®: starter set of ambulatory quality indicators developed by the German National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians].

Aim: Development of a starter set of quality indicators for application by general practitioners and specialists in the outpatient care sector.

Methodology: The results of a systematic search for national and international quality indicators relevant to the outpatient care sector in Germany provided the basis for the indicator selection process. Outpatient care doctors rated the relevance and feasibility of the indicators according to the RAND/UCLA method.

[Self-assessment and quality development in primary care: results of the German pilot study using the International Maturity Matrix].

The International Maturity Matrix has been developed with the aim to provide a European instrument for a facilitated self-assessment of primary care organisations. It covers seven dimensions; their implementation is evaluated by the whole practice team on six theoretically-founded levels of organisational development. The present paper will report the results of the German pilot study with 22 participating primary care practices.

[A proposal of the medical profession for the prevention of medical errors].

In 2002 the Agency for Quality in Medicine developed an "action plan" to improve patient safety that can be summarized neatly as "Sensitize, inform, discuss and implement strategies". The following publication describes both the goals of this action plan and some of its implemented measures.

[Quality and quality development in medical practices--epidemiological results of the accompanying evaluation of the new KBV quality management system].

The motivation for quality management has now reached medical and psychotherapeutic practices. This is partly due to exogenous factors, including regulatory requirements such as Sect. 135a SGB V (German Book of Social Code) demanding the implementation and further development of internal quality management from both out-patient and in-patient healthcare providers.