Lauterbach: East well prepared for hospital reform
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) believes that the eastern German states are well prepared for the hospital reform. They have already modernized their hospital structures, he explained in a statement on Monday following a video conference with the heads of the eastern German governments. This gives hospitals a secure economic basis, even in structurally weak areas with falling case numbers. In outpatient care, the new primary care centers and municipal medical care centers are good alternatives to a rigid demarcation between outpatient and inpatient care.
According to Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU), there is agreement that the consolidation of the hospital landscape in the east since the 1990s must be taken into account in the reform. The aim is to strengthen cross-sectoral care, to enshrine this in law and to establish a suitable remuneration system. Planning for the outpatient and inpatient sectors must be more closely linked.
The modernized hospital structures in the eastern German states ensure a stable economic foundation for hospitals, even in regions with declining health cases. Enhancing cross-sectoral care and legally enshrining it are key aspects of the hospital reform, considering the consolidation of the hospital landscape in the east since the 1990s.
Source: www.dpa.com
