Against the background of the important role of depressive disorders in health policy, outpatient management still seems to have some optimisation potential. In particular, improvement can be expected from a stricter adherence to diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. The article discusses potential elements of a quality-orientated, guideline-based reimbursement system as a component of a comprehensive strategy for implementing available guidelines. This includes focussing on target areas typical of depression as well as improving outcome by controlling process elements during treatment.