Enhanced Home Health Services in Rural Regions Through the HÄPPI Approach

In a significant move to improve healthcare in rural areas, the state of Baden-Württemberg has announced the implementation of the 'Primary Care Center - Interprofessional Patient Care' concept, also known as the HÄPPI concept. This innovative approach, developed in collaboration with several key stakeholders, aims to optimize and further develop existing resources in primary care.

The HÄPPI concept has been a joint effort between the Ministerium für Ernährung, Ländlichen Raum und Verbraucherschutz Baden-Württemberg, the Kabinettsausschuss Ländlicher Raum Baden-Württemberg, the Hausärztinnen- und Hausärzteverband Baden-Württemberg, the AOK Baden-Württemberg, and MEDI Baden-Württemberg. The Cabinet Committee on Rural Areas, a significant instrument of the state government for processing central, cross-departmental, and complex issues, provided support for the HÄPPI project during its pilot phase in ten primary care practices within the state.

The pilot phase of the HÄPPI project was designed to identify opportunities and challenges in implementing the concept. Findings from this phase were compiled in a best practice handbook for interested primary care practices. The HÄPPI concept uses digital technologies to make practice organization and diagnostics more efficient, allowing GPs to gain more free capacity to better handle chronically and multiply ill patients.

Dr. Jan Fedorcak, an engaged doctor in Schwäbisch Hall, is one of those testing the HÄPPI model. The successful cooperation of the Baden-Württemberg Association of General Practitioners, AOK Baden-Württemberg, and the state of Baden-Württemberg is crucial for securing medical care in rural areas.

The Cabinet Committee on Rural Areas, which focuses on promoting equal living conditions, infrastructures, and working conditions throughout the country, proposes necessary measures to the ministerial council or determines them within its scope of tasks. Examples of measures proposed by the Cabinet Committee on Rural Areas include the awarding of model projects, the development of future-oriented concepts, and the initiation of federal council initiatives.

As of June 2025, the HÄPPI concept will receive nationwide remuneration in Baden-Württemberg’s contract for General Practitioner-Centered Care (HZV). This move is expected to increase the sustainability of general practice and contribute to securing medical care in rural areas.

Healthcare professionals in the practice are more strongly involved in patient care with the HÄPPI concept, which also aims to improve the quality of care provided. The HÄPPI project is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in addressing healthcare challenges in rural areas.

For more information about the Cabinet Committee on Rural Areas, please contact the Ministry of Food, Rural Affairs and Consumer Protection's Press Office or Citizen's Representative.