RV Fit is a prevention scheme for individuals who are interested in proactively addressing initial health problems before they evolve into serious health issues. It is a free training programme geared to all employees with initial health impairments covering the topics of exercise, nutrition and stress management. Participants can register to take part on the RV Fit prevention web portal. The growing interest in this health programme is reflected in the rising number of registrations: from 50,540 in the previous year to 64,525 in 2024. Over 90 per cent of participants registered to take part on the web portal.
Increased use of rehabilitation services for the treatment of mental illnesses
In 2024, the number of medical rehabilitation treatments provided rose from 993,775 to 1,050,386. These figures are back to approximately the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemic. Orthopaedics and rheumatology (2024: 37.4 per cent) are the most common indications, followed by psychotherapy and psychosomatics (2024: 17.6 per cent). There has been a significant increase in treatments for mental illnesses compared to previous decades. In the year 2000, these treatments only accounted for 15.3 per cent of rehabilitation services. There are also clear gender-specific differences in service utilisation. Women are making the most use of rehabilitation treatments for mental and psychosomatic illnesses, and around 22 per cent of women take advantage of them. The figure for men is around 13 per cent. The German Pension Insurance is responding to the increasing demand by expanding its range of services – for example, by offering more interdisciplinary programmes for both somatic and concomitant mental illnesses.
“We are continuously expanding our portfolio of services to facilitate occupational inclusion for people with mental illnesses.”
Director of Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund
More people are exercising their statutory right to choose a rehabilitation clinic
Anyone applying for medical rehabilitation treatments have a say rehabilitation decisions and can choose the clinic themselves. Insured persons have the right to choose the location and timing of their rehabilitation treatment in accordance with their life situation, whether it takes place on an inpatient, day-care or all-day outpatient basis. The German Pension Insurance diligently reviews the extent to which patients’ requests can be complied with. This right to have a say in the rehabilitation process, which was reinforced in mid-2023, improves patient orientation and is popular. In 2024, the number of insured persons who exercised their right of choice increased. In the inpatient rehabilitation services segment alone, the number of requests for specific clinics in applications rose to over 60 per cent. It is also evident that insured persons are informing themselves to a greater extent. For example, “Meine Rehabilitation” – the German Pension Insurance’s portal providing an overview of rehabilitation facilities – recorded almost one million visits in 2024.
