The Institute was established under the Health Care Reform 2004 as a foundation for quality and efficiency in health care. The legal foundations of the Institute are anchored in the German Social Code Book V (SGB V), where its brief, the carrying out of its responsibilities, and its funding basis are laid down.
Relevant paragraphs in SGB V:
§139a Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (PDF, 12 kB)
§139b Conduct of tasks (PDF, 9 kB)
§139c Funding (PDF, 9 kB)
§35b Benefit and cost assessment of drugs (PDF, 11 kB)
General commission:
In order to guarantee the scientific independence of the Institute, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) awarded a general commission in December 2004, which was extended in 2008. This allows IQWiG to select topics for scientific evaluation independently. The topics do not have to be approved by the G-BA or the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).
The structure of the foundation is laid down in the Charter of the Foundation (PDF) (German version). The Institute's methods are described in IQWiG's Methods.
