Medical Aids and Assistive Devices Market in Germany
There is a wide range of medical aids and assistive devices. It includes visual aids, hearing aids, prostheses, orthopedic and other aids ranging from incontinence aids to compression stockings and wheelchairs. Medical aids can also be technical products that are used to administer drugs or other therapeutic agents as e.g. syringes, inhalation devices or application aids.
How to get your Medical Aid reimbursed by German Health Insurance?
German statutory health insurance funds pay for Medical aids and auxiliary devices that are necessary in individual cases to ensure the success of medical treatment, to prevent an impending disability or to compensate for an existing disability. Reimbursement for medical aids and assistive devices in Germany may also exist in the context of preventive medical services – for example, to avoid the need for care. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) compiles a list of medical aids (the so called Hilfsmittelverzeichnis) that are reimbursed by the statutory health insurance funds.
sananet consultancy is specialized to help you to get your Medical aids and auxiliary devices reimbursed by German health insurances.
Why is the German Medical Aids and Assistive Devices Market so attractive?
EUR 21.3 billion was spent on remedies and medical aids by German statutory health insurance (SHI) in 2022, which corresponds to 7.8 percent of benefit expenditure. This makes this sector the fourth largest segment in the German health care market after outpatient medical care.
German statutory health and long-term care insurance funds provide their patients with more than 30 million medical aids. These include walking aids, wheelchairs and blood glucose meters as well as digital care aids such as modular assistance systems for making emergency calls.
As German health care market is by far the biggest in Europe and one of the largest worldwide, Germany is a natural entry point for your remedies and medical aids.
Structure of the Medical Aids and Assistive Devices Market in Germany
The German market for medical aids, remedies and assistive devices is very opaque due to the large number of completely different products and the variety of providers. Medical and medical technology advances are also constantly contributing to the development of new medical aids.
The assistive product groups with the highest expenditure per patient in the last years included hearing aids, inhalation and respiratory therapy devices, orthoses and splints, incontinence aids, medical and disability vehicles as wheelchairs and insoles.
In terms of the prescription rate, insoles, orthoses and splints, compression aids and bandages took first place.
You find a list of the categories here.
How to find successful Sales Channels for your Remedies and Medical Aids?
sananet consulting agency has extensive experience to build up effective and successful sales and marketing networks for your Medical aids and auxiliary devices in the German speaking markets (DACH-region), be it visual aids, hearing aids, prostheses, orthopedic or other aids ranging from incontinence aids to compression stockings and wheelchairs.
There are several parallel options, from starting with KOL as reference over building a network of distributors to finding a strategic partner.
- Depending on market segment and sales channel it might be useful to start with key opinion leaders (KOL) as reference sites.
- Moreover, depending on market segment and sales channel, it might be necessary to list your product with the health insurances in Hilfsmittelverzeichnis as described above
- Once that is done, the main task will be find potential sales partners, be it regional distributors in Germany or international strategic partners for OEM and private label. The goal will depend on your strategy. This phase would be done on success basis.
