German Association of General Practitioners and Federal Association of Private Suppliers of Social Services initiate health care network focused on nursing care.

The German Association of General Practitioners and Federal Association of Private Suppliers of Social Services (bpa) are planning to jointly develop cross-sectoral solutions in providing care for the old and sick. The aim is to facilitate structural networking of GP surgeries and nursing facilities and to overcome problems at points where they intersect.

They are planning to expand and design medical and nursing care services with practicalities in mind, which „in future, we will only be able to guarantee if general practitioners and nursing facilities cooperate very closely“, says Ulrich Weigeldt, the Federal Chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners.

Finally, as well as developing special programs for people who are carers for their relatives, the Association of General Practitioners and the bpa also want to coordinate referrals to and from the hospital.

Commentary: Two big players have embarked on a way to develop more influence in guiding patients who move between the inpatient and outpatient sectors. According to the bpa it has 7,000 members, while 32,000 doctors are part of the German Association of General Practitioners. It remains to be seen whether both players are able to ‚deliver the goods‘. However, the question for both manufacturers and service providers in the home care sector is to what extent these activities will impede their own marketing efforts in the area of referrals. The topic of referrals should therefore be addressed quickly and implemented locally – if necessary involving both general practitioners and nursing services – and the facts should be established. Has your company adequately addressed the topic of referrals?

[ilink url=“http://www.bpa.de/upload/public/doc/18012012_hausaerzte_und_bpa_hand.pdf“]Link to source (bpa)[/ilink]