[Health policy aspects of quality assurance].

Health policy in Germany has in recent years given priority to the self-administration of physicians, sickness funds, and hospital associations. Hence, legal regulations on quality assurance have focused on defining responsibilities and areas of primary importance, while precise processes are being defined by the self-administration. As prices for health care are increasingly restricted by lump sum payments, quality and quality assurance become more important as a factor in competition between health care providers. To support the implementation of quality assurance in the health care system, the German Federal Ministry of Health has funded model-projects, e.g., to support the adaptation of successful strategies of total quality management for health care.