Restructuring of the Healthcare System - The significance of effective medical facility management
Health Insurance Bodies and Groups Push for Renovation in Hospital Services in Rhineland-Palatinate
The mandatory health insurance providers and associations are advocating for substantial improvements in hospital services in Rhineland-Palatinate to enhance patient care and create more functional frameworks. They suggest merging smaller facilities and combining services at selected sites. Representatives from AOK and IKK Südwest health insurance companies, together with the Association of Alternative Health Insurance Funds (vdek), voiced these views in Mainz. Setting up more outpatient clinics would assist in alleviating hospitals, enabling them to focus on severe illnesses.
Excessive Inpatient Care
The mandatory health insurance providers and associations base their demands on a research conducted by the Institute for Health Care Business GmbH, which indicates that the number of hospitals suffering losses in Rhineland-Palatinate is higher than the country's average. Although the population of general practitioners in the region is substantial, the ratio of specialists is below the national average. Moreover, there are high patient numbers in inpatient care with low seriousness levels. The study was unveiled in June.
"It's Time to Act"
Before instituting changes in Rhineland-Palatinate, the enactment of hospital reform is essential. However, "it's time to act," emphasized IKK Südwest board member Daniel Schilling. AOK board chair Martina Niemeyer guaranteed that emergency medical services in rural areas would not be disrupted. The head of the vdek state office, Martin Schneider, suggested that signs from the state government indicated agreement with the analysis presented in the study. However, the state should significantly enhance its financing for hospitals in principle.
Consider Changes Across Boarders
The director of the Institute for Health Care Business GmbH, Boris Augurzky, advocated for contemplating plans to modify hospital services beyond regional borders. Since Rhineland-Palatinate shares four borders with neighboring states, it would be advantageous to examine the structures in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and Saarland as well.
Hospital Reform by Federal Health Minister Lauterbach
The hospital reform has already been introduced in the German Parliament. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach's (SPD) legislative initiatives aim to alleviate financial strain and establish uniform quality standards. The financing of clinics by health insurers will be based on more precisely defined performance groups that also set minimum requirements.
Federal Health Minister Lauterbach justified his plans, among other reasons, by stating that more specialization and less bureaucracy are required to improve care. Without the reform, it is estimated that around 25 percent of clinics could go bankrupt by 2030.
The mandatory health insurance bodies believe that the high number of loss-making hospitals in Rhineland-Palatinate, coupled with excessive inpatient care with low seriousness levels, necessitates renovation in hospital services. To address this issue, they propose merging smaller facilities and focusing on more outpatient clinics, as suggested in Mainz by representatives from AOK, IKK Südwest, and vdek.
