[Large-Scale Medical Equipment - An Analysis of Supply Structures 20 Years after the Abolition of Site Planning].

AIM

The aim of this study was to examine the supply structures of computer tomographs (CT) and positron emission tomographs (PET) 20 years after abolishing site planning of large-scale medical equipment in the German inpatient sector.

METHODOLOGY

Cartographic analyses were used to visualize the inpatient supply with CT and PET between 2010 and 2017. Regional differences were investigated in relation to population and disease burden to identify potentially over- and under-served areas.

RESULTS

Almost German-wide coverage was observed for CT. Only 0.3 percent of the population did not have access to a device within 30 minutes of driving distance. In contrast, larger segments of the population in extensive regions did not have timely access to PET. In addition, there was a high degree of regional variation in supply, which could not be explained either by population density or the disease burden of the region.

CONCLUSION

The supply structures of large-scale medical equipment over decades without concrete regulatory interventions reveal regional variation. This is to be viewed critically from both an economic and a medical perspective. The extent to which strengthening competitive elements or cross-sectoral site planning can lead to a demand-oriented and efficient supply of large-scale medical equipment still needs to be investigated in more detail.