ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 2014, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Bavaria introduced the active substance agreement (WSV) for the transparent control of pharmaceutical expenditure within the framework of the efficiency principle (§ 12 of the Fifth Book of the German Social Code [SGB V]). It replaced the prescribing target scheme. Regarding the role of the WSV, the article presents the reasons of the general practitioners (GPs) for or against a further prescription of drugs from the hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a qualitative study design, individual interviews (nâ¯= 18) and two focus groups (nâ¯= 10) were conducted with Bavarian GPs between November 2019 and March 2020 and evaluated according to qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: With the introduction of the WSV, recourse concerns decreased for GPs overall. Patient-oriented care and the professional correctness of therapy decisions are of great importance in prescribing, ahead of cost-effectiveness. Economic challenges arise with discharge medication, especially with the lead substance target of oral anticoagulants, the generic targets for antidiabetics, and for therapeutics for the cardiovascular system. Generally criticized are drug discount contracts, which often lead to drug changes after hospital discharge. There are individual reports of a "predominance" of hospital physicians when prescribing, which is contrary to their own economic actions as GPs. According to the GPs, there is a lack of cross-sectoral cost responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: In the view of GPs, a smooth interface transition is not yet available in the outpatient sector despite a framework agreement on discharge management and the new control system of the WSV. An economical supply of drugs continues to require political discussion across sectors, but also across federal states.
