International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society
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In Germany, the financing of stroke unit care was implemented into the hospital reimbursement system in 2006. Since then, many acute care hospitals newly implemented stroke units. Simultaneous, in-hospital mortality for stroke declined. ⋯ The earlier stroke unit implementations might represent rather 'formal' inceptions in experienced hospitals with preexisting appropriate stroke care, whereas late implementations seem to have caused extra improvements. Overall, stroke patients are more likely to survive when admitted to an stroke unit-providing hospital. A more stringent assignment of acute stroke patients to stroke unit-providing hospitals could possibly further reduce stroke mortality in Germany.