Lauterbach Plan: How emergency care should be improved

The emergency departments in hospitals are overloaded and patients complain about long waiting times. Health Minister Lauterbach has now presented key points to improve emergency care. What is planned? An overview.

Uniform acute care, emergency centers and appointment service points: Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presented key points on how patients should be cared for in the event of an emergency in the future. The corresponding law is scheduled to come into force in January 2025.

“In an emergency, patients should be treated where they can receive the quickest and best care,” said the SPD politician. “It doesn’t always have to be the hospital.” In many cases, emergency acute care makes more sense. A visit to the family doctor’s office the next day is often enough.

Where should you go in an emergency?

According to the medical profession, patients should primarily call the current emergency number 116 117 in an emergency. This emerges from a statement by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the Marburger Bund and the Association of General Practitioners, which was published in Berlin. Callers should receive an initial assessment of their concerns and then be sent to an emergency room, an urgent care center or a doctor.

The emergency service numbers of the rescue service (112) and the statutory health insurance associations (116 117) should be networked in order to better manage patients, said Lauterbach. This should make it possible to transfer patients. Both numbers therefore remain relevant for patients.

How should hospitals be relieved?

According to Lauterbach’s plans, acute emergency care is to be standardized nationwide. To this end, the statutory health insurance associations should provide telemedical care and home visits around the clock.

According to the Health Minister’s plans, there should also be integrated emergency centers (INZ) across the board and, if there is sufficient capacity, integrated emergency centers for children and young people (KINZ). They should therefore consist of the emergency room of a hospital, a central initial assessment center and an emergency service practice in the immediate vicinity.

The INZ should be open on weekends and public holidays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Opening hours are also planned on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Wednesday and Friday from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Deviations should be possible in individual cases. In order to be able to dispense medicines that are needed at short notice, the INZ should enter into cooperation agreements with nearby pharmacies.

How should the burden on general practitioner practices be relieved?

The INZ and the outreach emergency service should be enabled to issue sick notes. This means that patients do not have to go to a family doctor’s office again after treatment to get sick leave.

How do you get Treatment appointments?

In order to arrange treatment appointments more quickly, the appointment service points should be expanded and strengthened. Additional funds should be made available for this purpose by statutory health insurance and the associations of statutory health insurance physicians.

The INZ should also be connected to appointment service points so that patients can continue to be treated.

Why is the reform necessary?

The number of emergency patients in Germany has recently increased significantly: from 24.9 million in 2009 to 27.8 million in 2019. The number of emergency patients treated by hospitals alone rose from 14.9 million in 2009 to 19.1 million in 2019 and thus by 28 percent.

Doctors and health politicians have been complaining for years about mismanagement of patient care in emergencies. Hospital emergency departments are complaining about being overloaded. Many patients also used the emergency number 112 for minor and chronic illnesses or loneliness. Patients complain about extremely long waiting times.