Utilization of physical therapy services in Germany

Abstract

Physical therapy plays an important role in health care and is listed as a therapy in many clinical guidelines. Claims data gathered by statutory health insurers demonstrate that in Germany physical therapy accounts for more than 70% of the reimbursable costs of all non-medical treatments comprising physical therapy, logopaedics, occupational therapy and podiatry. In monetary terms, this equates to about EUR 4.4 billion annually. According to self-reports of the respondents of GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS on their utilization of physical therapy services 25.5% of women and 17.7% of men used physical therapy services within the 12 months that preceded the interview. This rate increases significantly with age, reaching its peak among the 50-to-59 year age group, at 30.7% among women and 20.1% among men. People with a high level of education and those with private health insurance use physical therapy services more frequently. Moreover, people living in the eastern part of Germany use physical therapy services more often than those living in the western federal states.