Inclusion of chronic pain disorder in the german morbidity-based risk adjustment

Chronic pain disease officially included

In a joint press statement a wide coalition of professional societies and associations welcome the inclusion of chronic pain disorder in the morbidity-based risk adjustment (Morbi-RSA) used by German health insurers. 

The German Federal Social Insurance Office (BVA) has redefined the diseases to be considered in the morbidity-based risk adjustment in (Morbi-RSA). The chronic pain as a disease, after years of demands from professional associations and organizations in pain medicine, has now been incorporated in the future catalogue of 80 relevant diagnostic groups of the Morbi-RSA. 

The professional association of doctors and psychological psychotherapist in pain and palliative care in Germany (BVSD), the German Society for Pain Management Association (DGS), the German Interdisciplinary Association of Pain Therapy Association (DIVS), the German Pain Society and the German Pain League Association welcomed this step in a joint press statement at: http://www.bv-schmerz.de 

The morbidity-based risk adjustment system is used in Germany to equalise budgeting risks in insured populations between German insurers. Simular systems are in use in many coutries but do not include chronic pain as a health state to fence budget risks. The inclusion in Germany was made possible due to the fact that in Germany a special ICD10 code for chronic pain has been defined (and is used). The inclusion of chronic pain in the morbidity-based risk adjustment system will motivate insurers and budget holders to track the costs related to chronic pain. 

At SIP 2010 this topic was presented by Reinhard Thoma (see http://www.sip-platform.eu/workshop-4-sip-2010.html.