How Germany is planning to save its ailing hospitals
Germany is set to present a draft law for a major reform of the hospital sector this year. But what's on the table and why are hospitals in Germany in such bad health?
What's the latest?
On Thursday, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and state health ministers held talks to discuss how to save hospitals in the country that are overstretched and struggling financially.
They agreed they would present a joint reform proposal by the start of summer this year which would go on to form the basis of new legislation.
"We are in an emergency situation," said Lauterbach, of the Social Democrats (SPD), at a press conference after the consultations.
He added that there would be a "necessary revolution in the hospital sector".
Lauterbach says that the reform will put a spotlight on the medical care of individual patients - rather than on financial and economic efficiency.
The current system encourages hospitals to perform as many treatments as possible as cheaply as possible.
The draft law will be put together through working groups with the states. In the coming weeks, various topics of the reform are to be fine-tuned, such as the financial structure or the design of the different hospital levels and service groups.
READ ALSO: 'No space': German hospitals overwhelmed by sick kids
Why is this happening?
The majority of hospitals in Germany - that's 60 percent of 1,900 - are facing huge financial problems.
Quality of care is falling, equipment is outdated, there is too much bureaucracy and there is not enough staff.
Like most countries across the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has also taken its toll, adding huge pressure on healthcare services, employees and clinics. Add to that the energy crisis which has placed a further burden on clinics.
Lauterbach stressed that hospitals need to be able to leave the "hamster wheel" of providing extra services.
Karl Lauterbach (SPD), Federal Minister of Health. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler
What are the planned changes so far?
A commission set up last year to thrash out reforms, recommended lowering flat-rate payments per medical case. Hospitals in Germany receive an amount in euros per patient or case of treatment.
This creates an incentive to carry out as many treatments as possible in the cheapest possible way. As a result, quality can suffer and staff come under further pressure due to the large amount of work.
Under the proposals, resources would be better distributed. Lauterbach said there would be more specialisation and less of the 'everybody does everything' culture.
Hospitals nationwide are to be assigned to three categories: hospitals for basic care, hospitals for "standard and specialised care" and hospitals for "maximum care". This should guarantee patients a better quality of treatment because the clinics will specialise in certain treatments.
READ ALSO: What to know about Germany's plans to raise health insurance fees
A sign for the emergency department hangs in front of the Helios Klinik Stralsund, northern Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Sauer
In general, the aim is for the reform to take the economic pressure off hospitals.
In Germany, the operating costs of hospitals - the costs for the treatment of patients - are financed by health insurers, while investment comes from the federal states.
What are other politicians saying?
North Rhine-Westphalia's health minister Karl-Josef Laumann stressed that it was not about closing hospitals - which some had feared the reforms would bring - but about ensuring a higher quality of treatment for people in Germany.
Laumann emphasised, however, that hospital planning has to remain the responsibility of states.
"No federal template must be placed on the hospitals," he said. The hospital landscape in different regions of Germany is too diverse for that, he added
Lower Saxony's health minister Daniela Behrens said hospital reform is a mammoth task that was desperately needed because there were gaps in care in rural regions, and many health care professionals would retire in the coming years.
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What's the latest?
On Thursday, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and state health ministers held talks to discuss how to save hospitals in the country that are overstretched and struggling financially.
They agreed they would present a joint reform proposal by the start of summer this year which would go on to form the basis of new legislation.
"We are in an emergency situation," said Lauterbach, of the Social Democrats (SPD), at a press conference after the consultations.
He added that there would be a "necessary revolution in the hospital sector".
Lauterbach says that the reform will put a spotlight on the medical care of individual patients - rather than on financial and economic efficiency.
The current system encourages hospitals to perform as many treatments as possible as cheaply as possible.
The draft law will be put together through working groups with the states. In the coming weeks, various topics of the reform are to be fine-tuned, such as the financial structure or the design of the different hospital levels and service groups.
READ ALSO: 'No space': German hospitals overwhelmed by sick kids
Why is this happening?
The majority of hospitals in Germany - that's 60 percent of 1,900 - are facing huge financial problems.
Quality of care is falling, equipment is outdated, there is too much bureaucracy and there is not enough staff.
Like most countries across the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has also taken its toll, adding huge pressure on healthcare services, employees and clinics. Add to that the energy crisis which has placed a further burden on clinics.
Lauterbach stressed that hospitals need to be able to leave the "hamster wheel" of providing extra services.
What are the planned changes so far?
A commission set up last year to thrash out reforms, recommended lowering flat-rate payments per medical case. Hospitals in Germany receive an amount in euros per patient or case of treatment.
This creates an incentive to carry out as many treatments as possible in the cheapest possible way. As a result, quality can suffer and staff come under further pressure due to the large amount of work.
Under the proposals, resources would be better distributed. Lauterbach said there would be more specialisation and less of the 'everybody does everything' culture.
Hospitals nationwide are to be assigned to three categories: hospitals for basic care, hospitals for "standard and specialised care" and hospitals for "maximum care". This should guarantee patients a better quality of treatment because the clinics will specialise in certain treatments.
READ ALSO: What to know about Germany's plans to raise health insurance fees
In general, the aim is for the reform to take the economic pressure off hospitals.
In Germany, the operating costs of hospitals - the costs for the treatment of patients - are financed by health insurers, while investment comes from the federal states.
What are other politicians saying?
North Rhine-Westphalia's health minister Karl-Josef Laumann stressed that it was not about closing hospitals - which some had feared the reforms would bring - but about ensuring a higher quality of treatment for people in Germany.
Laumann emphasised, however, that hospital planning has to remain the responsibility of states.
"No federal template must be placed on the hospitals," he said. The hospital landscape in different regions of Germany is too diverse for that, he added
Lower Saxony's health minister Daniela Behrens said hospital reform is a mammoth task that was desperately needed because there were gaps in care in rural regions, and many health care professionals would retire in the coming years.
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