Polyclinic

As a polyclinic ( from Greek πόλι - ς / poli -s / ' city ' and κλίνη / Kline / ' couch ', see also clinic, so actually city hospital ) is called in Germany a general hospital outpatient department for treatment of patients. In some cases, such devices are also referred to as ambulatory.

History

Originally a hospital was a hospital that served mainly in the education of medical students. Therefore have been taken, particularly for patients whose disease was interesting for this training. The clinic was part of the hospital, the citizens of the university city (polis) were admitted, no matter how interesting their "case" was.

Under Polyclinic you understood the summary of various specialists in a " Great practice" ( such polyclinics are in Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and sometimes called in Germany outpatient clinic ). This form of polyclinics in the GDR was by far the predominant form of organization of outpatient medical treatment. They had often clinic-like structures in structural terms. Smaller or specialized facilities - partly also in companies - Outpatient Clinic, Outpatient country or land ambulance were called.

After the reunification of their first set-aside in favor of individual independent practices has been prescribed by law, but partly remained Specialists in the old buildings, so that in some places there are now several separate organizational practices under one roof. These devices are usually called " medical center ".

State clinics currently exist mainly in Russia, Ukraine and in most other former socialist countries.

Polyclinics in the current health care debate

The current health care debate uses the term " clinic " in memory of the institutions of the GDR for the concept of multidisciplinary practices in which mostly employed physicians of different orientation for ambulatory care of patients are responsible.

Polyclinics in the strict sense, there have been in the Federal Republic, but as institutions of university hospitals for purposes of scientific research and education. In addition, practice clinics, medical care centers, and various forms of outpatient clinics in hospitals are possible.

Arguments for polyclinics

Expensive equipment (eg, x-ray equipment ) and areas (such as surgery) and some staff are shared, management is central and the staff doctors receive a fixed salary. This reduces the cost of health insurance are expected, which therefore often for the establishment of polyclinics or similar models ( medical care centers, see below) politically occur. Patients with further treatments and transfers within the Department no loss of time and no long walk or ride routes. The fixed salaries of doctors reduce the incentive that the doctors select treatment methods according to aspects of the profit maximization instead of medical aspects.

Arguments against polyclinics

Polyclinics can only be set up at central locations. Many patients must therefore travel long ways to turn up their travel costs in any health statistics and are still considerable. Because of their size, the polyclinics require a full-time management. The decoupling of the salaries of the staff doctors of sales reduces the motivation to work more and innovation, contributing to long waiting times for patients and obsolete technical equipment.

Medical care centers

The SHI Modernization Act ( GMG ) of 2004 provides that approved for physicians' care physicians and other care providers to join together in the so-called health care to medical care centers. A medical care center is a multidisciplinary, medically guided device ( such as an outpatient clinic of the GDR ) can be treated in the law and privately insured patients.

In contrast to the polyclinics of the GDR medical care centers are often civil law with personal liability of senior doctors and are founded on the initiative of the providers involved voluntarily. In addition, other legal forms up to the corporation are possible when allowed by professional ethics. They are similar to multidisciplinary group practices the old style with the new feature that non - medical care providers to be shareholders and the provision of services by employees towards the group practices is facilitated. This also takes into account that it already has long been a development to clinic similar group practices, the so-called practice clinics and on the other hand has long been a tendency to set up practices in hospitals were, especially if the owner worked as a resident physician at the hospital anyway.

Mobile clinic

A special form of the polyclinic in South Africa is the Phelophepa Health Care Train, the cost in medically underserved areas - provides supply - some of them free. These include ophthalmologic diagnosis and care, treatment of skin diseases, cancer screening, diabetes care and many other services.

This mobile clinic is affordable because of the political situation in South Africa only through donations ( sponsors ).