Outpatient specialist medical care (ASV) in thoracic oncology

Outpatient specialist medical care (ASV) is an innovative, comparatively new form of care based on Section 116b of the German Social Security Code V (SGB V), which enables interdisciplinary and intersectoral care for patients with rare and/or complex illnesses. The same general conditions apply to doctors in clinics and contract doctors in terms of access (without requirements planning), quality specifications and remuneration (extrabudgetary and without quantity limits). The ASV gives clinics another way to care for outpatients. A continuous increase in indication areas and the elimination of old authorizations from the previous model in Section 116b SGB V lead to a constant increase in ASV teams and included patients. Some hurdles in the practical implementation offset the advantages. These include, among others, an inhomogeneous and complicated notification process across the federal states and a complex and detailed implementation in practice. In the case of ASV tumors of the lungs and thorax, suspected cases, purely thoracic surgical treatment cases and follow-up care cannot be carried out via the ASV. Supply disruptions are therefore to be expected. It is still unclear whether the quality of care can ultimately be improved and this should be evaluated by means of health services research.