Since January 2005, the German Pain League has been taking action together with the largest pain physician organization in Germany, the German Pain Association, against the new health policy regulation EBM 2000plus (Einheitlicher Bewertungsmassstab). This new regulation, which dramatically limits pain treatment reimbursement and therapy time, was originally planned to begin in April 2005.

According to the German Pain League, this new regulation could decrease pain treatments for patients. The German Pain League reacted quickly by organizing workshops and discussions with its regional branch offices, sending a petition and encouraging its members to send individual letters. The patient association has been lobbying strongly, writing letters to medical insurance organizations, to the Health Minister, as well as organizing press conferences (www.schmerzliga.de/pages/aktionen/aktionen.html). The German Pain League and the German Pain Association succeeded in temporarily blocking the new regulation, while negotiating a new, more moderate policy change.

The German Pain League (patients): www.schmerzliga.de

The German Pain Association (physicians): www.dgschmerztherapie.de