[Cost effectiveness of integrated internal medicine].

The medical diagnoses and their economic level of severity as well as the treatment costs and the proceeds of an integrated internal - psychosomatic ward C were compared with two conventional internal wards A and B of a general medical department within a hospital of tertiary care level. With a similar economic level of severity of the diagnoses, lethality and costs for nursing care given the medical treatment costs of C were significant lower and the proceeds (minus medical treatment costs and nurses' salaries) calculated according to G-DRG version 1.0 higher than those of A and B. Integrated internal medicine is more cost effective compared to conventional internal medicine.