nationwide. Structural changes particularly relate to ambulatory SHI care and are intended to counteract the
problem of under- and oversupply.
The “General Law on Patients’ Rights” came into force into 2013. It includes several measures designed to
strengthen patients’ rights. The most important one is the incorporation of the treatment agreement into the
Civil Code, in which the rights, duties, and forms of etiquette emerging from the relationship between provider
and patient are established, as well as a statutory duty to provide information and documentation to patients
upon their request.
The author would like to acknowledge Reinhard Busse and Stephanie Stock as contributing authors to earlier versions of
this profile