The emphasis of the research is on hospitals and institutions, particularly the impact of health care reforms on staff and patient outcomes. There is an increasing need for information on outcomes with the introduction of a case-fee payment system based on DRGs (diagnosis-related groups) in German hospitals and rising quality comparisons between hospitals (eg. ranking lists and league tables). We work closely with Berlin hospitals through the study of the following issues:
The second main field of activity are the so-called disease management programs. We analyze the German situation and incorporate international evidence to assess the effectiveness of these programs.