<p>The global trend towards outpatient care in the healthcare sector is both medically sensible and economically necessary. In Germany, outpatient care is lagging behind other European countries, particularly Nordic countries, but also France and Spain. Although the length of stay in hospitals is decreasing, outpatient procedures are not increasing to the same extent, which points to an inefficiency in the system. The current separation between inpatient and outpatient care makes it difficult to provide seamless and efficient care, as there are legal, organisational and cost differences. The cost analysis shows that inpatient care generates the highest expenditure, followed by pharmaceuticals and outpatient treatment. Despite political efforts to develop cross-sector remuneration, only limited progress has been made to date. The introduction of hybrid diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) in 2024 was intended to promote outpatient care, but was met with criticism due to insufficient service volumes and lack of incentives. Further legal requirements are planned for 2025 and 2026, in order to further advance the development of hybrid DRGs, although implementation and agreement between the stakeholders still present challenges. Overall, the complete integration and optimisation of outpatient and inpatient care remains a&#xa0;complex task with political and organisational hurdles.</p>