Objectives: The provision of self-pay medical services is common across health care systems, but understudied. According to the German Medical Association, such services should be medically necessary, recommended or at least justifiable, and requested by the patient. We investigated the empirical evidence regarding frequency and practice of self-pay services as well as related ethical, social, and legal issues (ELSI).
Methods: A systematic literature search in electronic databases and a structured internet search on stakeholder websites with qualitative and quantitative information synthesis.
Results: Of 1,345 references, we included 64 articles. Between 19 and 53 % of insured persons received self-pay service offers from their physician; 16-19 % actively requested such services. Intraocular pressure measurement was the most common service, followed by ultrasound investigations. There is a major discussion about ELSI in the context of individual health services.
Conclusions: Self-pay services are common medical procedures in Germany. However, the empirical evidence is limited in quality and extent, even for the most frequently provided services. Transparency of their provision should be increased and independent evidence-based patient information should be supplied.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00038-013-0494-x | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Disparities in time to treatment initiation of invasive lung cancer among Black and White patients in Tennessee.
PLoS One
January 2025
Division of Intramural Research, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States of America.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates disparities in treatment initiation times for lung cancer between Black and White patients in Tennessee, revealing that Black patients generally face delays.
- The analysis of 42,970 lung cancer cases identified that younger Black patients and married White patients had the highest risks for late treatment initiation.
- The findings suggest a need for further research to better understand the factors contributing to these disparities in treatment timing between racial groups.
Impact of COVID-19 on newborn hearing screening (NBHS) and early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) services: A statewide analysis of differences and policy implications.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
December 2024
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Introduction: This study investigates the pandemic's impact on newborn hearing screening (NBHS) and access to hearing services for children in Utah. Specifically, it explores the differences in NBHS rates, diagnostic hearing testing, early intervention enrollment, and congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening before and during the pandemic.
Methods: Utilizing a comprehensive statewide Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) database, we analyzed data from January 2017 to December 2021, excluding a 6-month period preceding March 16, 2020, to eliminate potential confounders related to pandemic onset.
Rates, Diagnoses, and Predictors of Unplanned 30-Day Readmissions of Critical Care Survivors Hospitalized for Lung Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: An Analysis of National Representative US Readmissions Data.
Cureus
November 2024
Internal Medicine, Western Illinois University, Macomb, USA.
Introduction/objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that frequently involves the lungs, contributing to significant morbidity in hospitalized patients. Critical care survivors with lung involvement in SLE are at particularly high risk for unplanned hospital readmissions, which can reflect the complexity of their disease, which often affects multiple organs and requires immunosuppressive therapy that increases infection risk. Severe pulmonary complications, critical illness sequelae, and challenges in medication adherence or follow-up care further contribute to their vulnerability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreadth and Depth of Patient and Caregiver Supportive Services in Community Oncology (WF-1803CD).
Psychooncology
December 2024
Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Background: Providing supportive services to patients and their caregivers is essential to quality cancer care, yet the depth, availability, and infrastructure underlying these services remains unknown in community practice. We assessed these factors among practices within the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) to guide priorities for comprehensive supportive service(s) development and inform implementation of evidence-based interventions in clinical practice.
Methods: Supportive care leaders at NCORP practices completed online surveys regarding availability of services to patients and caregivers within seven domains, service infrastructure (e.
Self-pay molecular testing in ambiguous atypical pigmented lesions.
J Am Acad Dermatol
November 2024
Dermatology Service Line, Advocate Aurora Healthcare, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Electronic address:
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!