Federal Council puts the brakes on Lauterbach's transparency law for clinics
The Bundesrat has put the brakes on a state online atlas of hospital services and treatment quality in Germany for the time being. The Bundesrat decided to appeal to the joint mediation committee with the Bundestag on the law passed by the coalition government.
The chairman of the health ministers, Manne Lucha (Greens) from Baden-Württemberg, said that the intention was correct. However, the way the law was presented would not create more transparency, but rather confusion. Several states also criticized interference in their sovereignty over hospital planning and called for additional financial aid from the federal government.
This is what the draft law says
In the Bundesrat, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) warned against slowing down the bill and appealed for approval. Transparency should help people who are diagnosed with cancer in the coming year to find the right hospital. This transparency is also ethically necessary. "We have this data, but we don't use it."
The law stipulates that from May 2024, a "transparency directory" will be an interactive portal that will provide clear information about the services offered at 1,700 hospital locations across Germany. Specifically, it should be possible to see which clinic offers which services. Data on case numbers, i.e. treatment experience, staffing ratios for specialists and nurses as well as complication rates for selected procedures will be available.
In response to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach's appeals for approval of the transparency law, the Federal Council voiced concerns about potential confusion and interference in state sovereignty, leading to a temporary halt in its implementation. Despite this, Lauterbach emphasized the ethical necessity of the law, aiming to help cancer patients find the right hospital by providing clear data and transparency through a digital directory.
Source: www.dpa.com
