DRGs in Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy in Germany

Patients requiring transfusion medicine and hemotherapy in an inpatient setting are incorporated into the German Diagnosis Related Groups (G-DRG) system in multiple ways. Different DRGs exist in Major Diagnostic Category 16 for patients that have been admitted for the treatment of a condition from the field of transfusion medicine. However, the reimbursement might be not cost covering for many cases, and efforts have to be intensified to find adequate definitions and prices. We believe that this can only be successful if health service research is intensified in this field. For patients requiring hemotherapy and transfusion medicine concomitant to the treatment of an underlying disease such as cancer, multiple systems exist to increase remuneration, among them the Patient Clinical Complexity Level (PCCL) and complex constellations to induce DRG splits. For direct reimbursement of high cost products, additional remuneration fees (Zusatzentgelte, ZE) are the most important. In addition, expensive innovations not reflected within the DRGs can be reimbursed after application and negotiation of the New Diagnostic and Treatment Methods (Neue Untersuchungs- und Behandlungsmethoden, NUB) system. The NUB system guarantees that medical progress is put rapidly into clinical practice and prevents financial issues from becoming a stumbling block for the use of innovative drugs and methods

Bibliothekskonsortien in Österreich: Helmut Hartmann, Pionier für Konsortien elektronischer Medien in Österreich und erster Leiter der Kooperation E-Medien Österreich, beantwortet 11 Fragen von Bruno Bauer

Library consortia in Austria: interviewed by Bruno Bauer, retired director of Austrian academic consortium Helmut Hartmann looks back at the early days (translation of the title). Helmut Hartmann responds to questions on the introduction of electronic full text resources in Austrian academic libraries as well as consortia, covering the development from the pioneering days of the late nineties to the institutional establishment of the Austrian Academic Consortium (Kooperation E-Medien Österreich). Both major achievements and unfulfilled desiderata of his directorship are mentioned. Starting out from his rich experience, he provides some interesting insights into international collaboration for consortial licenses and highlights the relationship between publishers and consortia. The interview also reflects Hartmann’s personal view on the open access movement and the future of libraries and consortia. Finally drawing upon his expertise as a lecturer of LIS at various universities and the Austrian National Library, he pleads for courage, curiosity and commitment as the most desirable qualities in future librarians

The Damping Factor Provided by Flat Annular Ring Baffles for Free Fluid Surface Oscillations

Damping factor from flat annular ring baffles to prevent excessive propellant motion in space vehicle propellant tank

Der Umgang mit Fehlern als Merkmal betrieblicher Fehlerkultur und Voraussetzung für Professional Learning

Moderne Unternehmen folgen Philosophien, wonach Beschäftigte Kompetenzen entwickeln und ihr Unternehmen als lernende Organisation begreifen sollen. Das soll das Potenzial des Unternehmens steigern, auf schwer antizipierbare Anforderungen angemessen reagieren zu können. Fehler stellen in diesem Kontext spezielle Lerngelegenheiten dar, zumal flexible Strukturen die Wahrscheinlichkeit erhöhen, dass Fehler geschehen. Jedoch reicht alleine ein Bekenntnis zu einer positiven Fehlerkultur nicht aus, damit im betrieblichen Arbeitsalltag aus Fehlern gelernt wird. Es bedarf eines Umgangs mit Fehlern, der Merkmale einer positiven Fehlerkultur erfüllt. Dieser Beitrag klärt Voraussetzungen des Lernens aus Fehlern und berichtet Ergebnisse von Studien mit Beschäftigten aus unterschiedlichen Industrie- und Dienstleistungsunternehmen. (DIPF/Orig.)Modern enterprises follow philosophies which require employees to develop competencies and understand their enterprise as a learning organization in order to enhance the potential for appropriate reactions on market changes. Dealing with mistakes is a special source for learning in a scenario where flexible structures increase the probability of their occurrence. A positive way of dealing with mistakes should help to learn from them. However, just a commitment to a positive mistake culture (Fehlerkultur) does not guarantee learning from mistakes in daily working life. This contribution addresses the conditions of learning from mistakes and reports findings from empirical studies with employees. (DIPF/Orig.

A Retrospective Observational Single-Centre Study on the Burden of Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP)

Background: German data on economic consequences of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are limited. Patients and Methods: A retrospective, observational study based on chart review of adult patients with a confirmed diagnosis of ITP was conducted at a German university hospital. Costs are presented from the hospital perspective. Results: Of 50 eligible patients, 45 could be classified by disease duration: 19 patients = 3 to = 12 months (38%, chronic ITP). Complications included 85 bleeding events in 43 patients, including 3 intracranial haemorrhages. Documented were 955 outpatient visits in 43 patients (86%) and 92 inpatient hospital admissions in 45 patients (90%). Of the 46 patients (92%) treated, all received corticosteroids, 25 (50%) intravenous immunoglobulin, and 7 (14%) further therapies. 12 patients (24%) underwent splenectomy. Average total direct medical costs (mean (standard deviation)) were (sic) 17,091 ((sic) 18,859) per patient, (sic) 12,749 ((sic) 11,663) in 17 newly diagnosed ITP patients with a 0.88-month (0.65 months) average disease duration, and (sic) 29,868 ((sic) 29,397) in 13 chronic ITP patients with a 33.5-month (16.8 months) average disease duration. Inpatient stays were the main cost drivers. Conclusion: These data concerning current healthcare provision for ITP patients in Germany indicate considerable resource consumption and the need for more effective treatment options in individual patients

Dry Electrode Manufacturing in a Calender: The Role of Powder Premixing for Electrode Quality and Electrochemical Performance

The dry manufacturing of battery electrodes has the potential to significantly reduce costs and the environmental impact of battery production but deteriorates the electrode quality due to drawbacks in the processability of the materials. By varying the mixing intensity of the powder mixtures, this work investigates the impact of blend homogeneity on the flow properties and the processability of the dry mixtures. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of dry laminated electrodes made of LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 is investigated with respect to their initial mixture homogeneities and compared to slurry-based electrodes. An improvement of the powder flowability is observed for mixtures with a homogeneously distributed PVDF binder, which acts as a temporary lubricant in dry electrode manufacturing due to its ability to shear, resulting also in filament formation. Capacity and rate performance of electrodes made of homogeneous mixtures are the highest with 169 mAh/g at C/20 and 70 mAh/g at 3C compared to 169 and 49 mAh/g for the slurry-based electrodes, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry indicates lower overpotentials for incompletely homogenized electrodes due to the existence of carbon black aggregates that establish better long-range conductivity. Overall, electrodes from highly homogenized powders show the best electrochemical performance in terms of C-rate capability due to their favorable electrode thickness and porosity resulting from better processability in combination with a sufficiently distributed carbon binder domain

Die Beteiligungspyramide als Instrument des Bürgerengagements

Bei der Umsetzung der Energiewende spielt auch die Bürgerbeteiligung auf lokaler Ebene eine wichtige Rolle. Am Beispiel des Klimaschutzprogramms in Heidelberg wird aufgezeigt, welche Ebenen der Beteiligung möglich sind