Status: 01/02/2023 08:43 a.m
The economic situation of the hospitals is steadily deteriorating. Health Minister Lauterbach has already announced a reform. Medical associations are now demanding faster help: Otherwise, many clinics would go bankrupt.
Doctors’ organizations warn of imminent hospital bankruptcies and are calling for additional financial aid in the short term. “The risk of insolvency for many clinics increases with exploding costs, a shortage of staff and the resulting reduction in the number of cases,” says a letter from the Marburg Association and the Association of Senior Hospital Doctors (VlK) to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and his country colleagues, which the “New Osnabrücker newspaper” is available.
The reform of the hospital landscape planned by Lauterbach will only succeed if a hospital death is averted in the meantime. “Therefore, a resumption of the financial stabilization measures of the clinics by the federal, state and health insurance companies is the order of the day,” it continues.
Only six percent see themselves in a good position
Only on Tuesday did the hospital company warn that according to a new survey, only six percent of hospitals describe their current economic situation as good. Only 20 percent expected a positive result for 2022.
Lauterbach presented his plans for a hospital reform at the beginning of December. The previous remuneration system is to be fundamentally changed. In the future, a fixed amount for fixed costs such as the provision of staff, an emergency room or necessary medical technology should be defined in order to ensure good care, for example in rural areas.
Associations: Current distress is in the background
According to the report, the medical associations are hoping for a signal from the next meeting of health ministers this week. In the debate about Lauterbach’s reform proposals, “the current plight of the clinics is threatening to fade into the background,” the associations wrote. The current crisis in the children’s hospitals shows what permanent underfunding leads to. In the long term, for example, the bureaucratic burden would have to be reduced.