[Evidence-based medicine from the point of view of health insurance companies--a frame for qualified freedom of therapy and an improved economy?].

The rationality and efficiency of medical care must be improved from the point of view of the statutory health insurance system in Germany. Too many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are of doubtful usefulness, the high amount of many procedures is unnecessary. 10% of all expenditures in the health care sector or around 25 billion DM could probably be saved if evidence based guidelines are taken as a basis for decisions in medical care. Evidence based medicine not only improves the efficiency, but supports also the therapeutic freedom of the physicians in limiting the vagueness of many medical decisions. EBM is therefore a strategy of the sick fund systems that supports the quality and efficiency of the medical care for the insured people.