Dec 2023 | Joint Federal Committee (G-BA)
Long-COVID guideline is published
On 21 December 2023, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) adopted a new guideline for faster and more needs-based care for patients with suspected Long COVID. This Long COVID guideline defines requirements for care and describes so-called care pathways, i.e. the course of medical treatment.
A medical contact person is envisaged. This person will be responsible for the specific coordination required for diagnosis and treatment. In this way, the existing outpatient structures and services are utilised according to the severity and complexity of the illness and the right healthcare professions are involved.
The guideline applies both to those affected by Long COVID or with illness following a COVID-19 vaccination and to patients whose illnesses have similar causes or symptoms to Long COVID. This includes ME/CFS, for example.
Joint Federal Committee (G-BA)
The Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) is the highest decision-making body of the joint self-administration of physicians, dentists, psychotherapists, hospitals and health insurance companies in Germany. Representatives of patient organisations have the right to submit proposals and to participate in consultations in all committees of the G-BA. The main task of the G-BA is to define the content of care in more detail in guidelines, and to decide which services are covered by the statutory health insurance. The G-BA also defines measures for quality assurance of medical care as well as requirements for structured treatment programmes (disease management programmes, DMPs for short) and evaluates the benefits of medicines with new active ingredients.