[Dealing with bottlenecks in health care: legal implications].

Scarcity in the German health care system leads to an implicit allocation of means and also implies a risk of liability for physicians. Prioritisation can contribute to the solution of these problems and ascertain an equitable allocation of scarce resources. However, the criteria that will be applied to establish a ranking order will have to be thoroughly considered, particularly in light of the constitutional law, and there is still a multitude of unresolved questions seeking an answer. This requires an open political discourse about society and health care.