Things are not going well for many hospitals. This is mainly due to inflation, says your association. The states should therefore make their approval of Lauterbach’s reform dependent on inflation compensation.
The German Hospital Society (DKG) warns of dozens of hospital insolvencies this year. “Nationwide, more than 40 locations have filed for bankruptcy since the end of 2022 and six more were added in January alone,” said DKG boss Gerald Gaß to the Rheinische Post.
“If the clinics do not quickly receive inflation compensation from the federal government, 80 clinics could go bankrupt this year, according to our forecast. This is a disorderly death that is at the expense of employees and patients,” says the DKG boss.
The situation is getting worse: “Almost all clinics have been in the red since January 2022. To date, a deficit of 8.5 billion euros has accumulated, despite the federal energy aid.” Every month there would be an additional 500 million euros as a nationwide deficit. “From March onwards, 700 million euros will be missing every month because the tariff increases for staff will then be due. The clinics are using up their reserves, incurring debts – or filing for bankruptcy,” said Gaß.
DKG boss criticizes reform plans
Gaß criticized the reform plans of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). Before the discussions in the mediation committee of the Bundesrat and Bundestag on Wednesday, he called on the states not to agree to the hospital transparency law. “I appeal to the states not to agree to the Transparency Act if Lauterbach continues to deny the necessary inflation compensation.”
The minister wanted to use the transparency law “to assign performance groups to the houses and divide them into levels,” said Gaß. The SPD politician wants to determine which cases each house can handle and which not. “He doesn’t know the conditions in the 1,900 clinics at all. Lauterbach wants to circumvent the states and create facts before the actual hospital reform comes,” complained Gaß.
Lauterbach is planning fundamental clinic reform
The Hospital Transparency Act is one of several laws with which Lauterbach wants to fundamentally reform the hospital system. The core of the planned major reform is a new remuneration system that is intended to free hospitals from the economic pressure to treat more and more patients.