📋 Disease management programmes (DMP)
In brief
Disease management programmes (DMP) are structured, evidence-based treatment programmes that you can enrol in voluntarily at your GP practice if you have one of the illnesses covered. DMPs are currently implemented by contract nationwide for diabetes mellitus type 1 and type 2, coronary heart disease (CHD), bronchial asthma, COPD and breast cancer. For further illnesses (including chronic heart failure, depression, chronic back pain, obesity, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis), the Federal Joint Committee has adopted requirements, but contractual implementation between insurers and the regional associations of statutory health insurance physicians is still pending, or has progressed to differing degrees regionally, depending on the region and indication.
Step by step
- Check whether a DMP exists for your illnessAsk at your GP practice whether a DMP is offered for your diagnosis – this depends on the illness and partly on your region.
- Discuss enrolment with the practiceThe coordinating doctor (usually the GP practice) fills in the participation and consent form together with you.
- Attend regular check-up appointmentsDMPs provide for fixed check-ups at certain intervals, at which treatment goals are reviewed.
- Make use of training coursesMany DMPs include structured patient training courses, which the insurer funds in addition.
- You can end participation at any timeParticipation is voluntary; you can cancel it in writing at any time without giving reasons.
Deadlines
- DMPs do not exist for every chronic illness – for many common chronic illnesses (e.g. chronic inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease) there is currently no DMP.
- Even for illnesses for which the G-BA has already adopted requirements (e.g. depression, chronic back pain, chronic heart failure), actual contractual implementation as of this research (September 2026) has progressed to differing degrees regionally – you should ask your insurer or regional association of statutory health insurance physicians directly whether and when a DMP is actually offered in your region, as the implementation status is constantly changing.
- According to the sources reviewed here, the depression DMP has not yet been implemented by contract since its original version in 2019; an updated version of the requirements was due to come into force in the second quarter of 2026 following an announcement by the G-BA – even after that, actual regional contract conclusion remains an open question.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
What a DMP does
DMPs coordinate the treatment of a chronic illness along evidence-based treatment pathways, with clearly defined responsibilities between GP and specialist practices, fixed check-up intervals, documentation duties and structured training offers. The legal basis is § 137f and § 137g SGB V as well as the DMP-Anforderungen-Richtlinie of the Federal Joint Committee, which sets the substantive requirements for each indication.
Implementation status by indication (as of this research, September 2026)
DMPs for diabetes mellitus type 1 and type 2, coronary heart disease, bronchial asthma, COPD and breast cancer are established by contract nationwide. For osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, DMPs exist according to the available sources only in individual regions. For obesity, the G-BA adopted a new DMP in November 2023 (in force since July 2024); a nationally uniform participation and consent form with corresponding fields is planned, and the exact date of entry into force could not be determined beyond doubt as of this page. For chronic heart failure, depression and chronic back pain, G-BA decisions on requirements exist (the G-BA adopted the update on back pain in June 2026; the exact entry into force after review by the ministry was not yet conclusively known as of this page), but regional contractual implementation between insurers and regional associations of statutory health insurance physicians is, according to the specialist sources reviewed, inconsistent and in part not yet done.
Why implementation stalls
According to specialist reports, some health insurers see problems of demarcation from standard care in the depression and chronic back pain DMPs and doubt a clear additional benefit, which is why contract negotiations have stalled. This state of dispute may change; the only reliable course is to ask your own health insurer for current information.
A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.