(Gießen, November 24, 2011) At the 2nd Congress "Municipal Cooperation – Regional Future Management" on November 24, 2011, in Gießen, the integrated headache treatment concept, including the regional and nationwide headache treatment network of the Kiel Pain Clinic, was awarded the GenoFutura Award 2011. The GenoFutura Award recognizes innovative solutions for collaboration between public institutions, regional businesses, and local communities. The GenoFutura Award 2011 particularly honors outstanding achievements in the social and healthcare sectors.
The initiator of the integrated headache treatment network and head physician of the Kiel Pain Clinic, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Göbel, thanked the congress organizer and jury chairman, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang George: “All involved – the specialists from various healthcare professions, health insurance companies, self-help groups, and health policymakers – are delighted with this special award. Our goals for creating social and economic value regionally and nationally are to bring modern knowledge directly into patient care through networking and cooperation, to alleviate pain, and to reduce costs. This award motivates us and is a significant milestone on the path to improved quality of life and relief from pain and suffering.”.
Headaches and migraines are the number one health problem. They are among the most expensive illnesses. Besides causing individual suffering, they result in high direct and indirect costs for society. Standard care for headache patients is primarily provided within separate sectors of the healthcare system. Many sufferers with chronic headaches, due to a lack of effectiveness, seek treatment outside of professional settings and, frustrated, resort to alternative methods. Over months and years, the headache condition becomes even more chronic, and serious organ complications then force patients back into medical care. This results in very high direct and indirect costs.
Building on this scenario, a coordinated concept for integrated headache care was developed in cooperation with AOK Schleswig-Holstein (statewide) and Techniker Krankenkasse (nationwide). A regional and national network of experienced pain therapists working in outpatient and inpatient settings collaborates closely to alleviate pain across disciplines and sectors. At its core is a nationwide, comprehensive treatment network for all forms of headache and the coordination of all sectors. The participating professional groups provide treatment according to current guidelines and based on the latest scientific findings. Outpatient, rehabilitative, and inpatient therapies are closely coordinated and integrated into the treatment schedule. Patients are actively involved through self-help groups. More than 450 regional and inpatient pain therapists work together in a network across Germany. The quality of treatment is documented through continuous scientific research, and the sustainable cost-effectiveness in all sectors of the healthcare system is confirmed through analysis of direct and indirect costs.
The project was launched in May 2007. Nearly all major health insurance companies have now joined the healthcare program. The treatment network demonstrates the high clinical and economic efficiency of specialized pain therapy. It shows that effective and modern coordinated therapy can effectively alleviate pain, sustainably reduce costs, and prevent work disability. Patient satisfaction is very high. Risk-sharing arrangements also allow healthcare providers to directly benefit from the success of their treatments.
The GenoFutura Award recognizes outstanding achievements and innovative projects in the social and healthcare sectors. I was therefore delighted to learn that this year the integrated headache treatment concept, including the entire headache treatment network of the Kiel Pain Clinic, received this award.
The care of patients, especially those suffering from pain, has always been very difficult and neglected in the past. The concept of integrated care, which was largely developed in Kiel at the time, was a new, experimental, but groundbreaking approach.
The great potential of this new concept became apparent very quickly, especially in the often very demanding and complex care of patients with rare headache disorders, such as trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias.
Meanwhile, this concept of integrated care has proven to be a solid and reliable basis for the care of headache patients.
It is wonderful that this has now received such a beautiful appreciation and recognition.
I would especially like to thank the initiator of the integrated headache treatment network, Professor Dr. Göbel, whose great visionary power and tireless, always exemplary commitment inspired many practitioners and helpers throughout the country to participate in the network and thus laid the foundation for the network's success.
His conviction that networking and cooperation make specialized knowledge sustainably available has proven to be an effective and reliable way to treat patients with severe and rare headache disorders.
I am very grateful for this and delighted for everyone involved about the award, which recognizes these outstanding achievements.
On behalf of the Federal Association of Cluster Headache Self-Help Groups – CSG eV, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all involved on this special award.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Harald Müller
Dear Professor Göbel,
CSG eV – and I personally – congratulate you most sincerely on this recognition of your work.
You have finally brought the issue of pain and its appropriate therapy into the focus of practicing physicians and, with the nationwide headache network, which includes the Migraine League and the Federal Association of Cluster Headache Self-Help Groups (CSG) eV as aftercare providers, have taken a giant step towards adequate care for headache patients.
On behalf of the cluster headache patients of CSG eV, I thank you for this initiative and look forward to a long and successful collaboration with you and your organization.
Congratulations
Her
Jakob C. Terhaag