Every medical intervention constitutes bodily injury unless it is covered by effective consent. For this reason, medical information prior to any treatment is of great importance; it is the starting point for any review under criminal law. In addition to effective consent, the intervention or medical treatment must also be carried out in a manner appropriate to the art (de lege arte). In recent years, more and more cases of medical malpractice and hygiene deficiencies have become the focus of public attention. In most cases, this involves not only the assertion of claims for damages in court, but also investigations by the public prosecutor's office. The investigations focus not only on the persons acting directly, but also on those who exercise organizational authority, such as the hospital management.
In addition, for some time now, the investigating authorities have been increasingly pursuing and severely punishing cases of billing fraud in cooperation with other bodies, such as the associations of panel doctors. Ultimately, the persons concerned are concerned not only with avoiding a criminal conviction and a corresponding entry in the police record, but also with retaining their license to practice medicine, their license to practice as a panel doctor, and avoiding a ban from practicing medicine.
