Economic and Professional Situation of Outpatient Physiotherapy and Ergotherapy in Germany

This study was commissioned in July 2015 and completed in March 2016.

Outpatient care for physiotherapy and ergotherapy has been a growing market in Germany for a number of years. Spending on social health insurance (SHI) is on the rise. The supply of therapist’s practices has also risen in line with demand. However, most of practice returns are determined by SHI. Thus social law plays an eminent role in running a therapy practice. The law regulates the legal claim of insured persons, as well as the type and extent of the activity of care providers. Therapeutic cure usually requires a medical prescription by a doctor. Even the process of determining the amount of prescriptions is regulated by law.

Price setting, in addition to benefits and the extent of care provisions, is also regulated by social law. Price changes are not necessarily linked with increased performance and cost. In fact, treatment prices can only rise, as the premium revenues of the insurers increase, and the revenues are combined with wages. Since wage growth was rather low in the last decade, the question of therapeutical practices are still sufficiently profitable has arisen. The wages of the therapists employed are also affected, because the profitability of firms determines the level of wages to a large extent.

The aim of the study is to gather information on the financial situation of practices and employees in the physical and occupational care sector. In addition, the levels of profitability and wages are evaluated by means of a reference group approach. The study is carried out on behalf of the German “Spitzenverband der Heilmittelverbände (SHV).