Klinikum Freising: The occupancy is increasing, the minus as well

Created: 06/30/2022, 17:00

By: Andreas Beschorner

Despite increasing occupancy, the Freising Clinic is still a bit far from the pre-corona figures.

© Lehmann

Despite increasing occupancy figures, the minus in the Freising Clinic increased drastically in 2021.

The managing director explained the reasons for this to the district council.

Freising – It was not the first time that District Administrator Helmut Petz raved about the “spirit of optimism” and the “incredible dynamic” in the Freising hospital.

The annual result for 2021, which the hospital's managing director Maren Kreuzer presented on Thursday in the district council, was not exactly suitable for enthusiasm.

According to Kreuzer, in autumn 2021 one had “hoped” for a deficit of “only” 3.5 million euros, but actually ended up with a minus of 4.4 million euros.

In 2020 they got away with 1.6 million euros.

The amazing thing: Compared to 2020, pretty much all the important numbers for 2021 are up, as shown in Kreuzer's report.

Examples: 15,027 patients were treated as inpatients in 2021 - an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 2020, 16,707 patients as outpatients, which means an increase of 17.1 percent compared to 2020.

In the emergency room, 7,376 inpatients were treated last year (up 17.2 percent), 15,042 outpatients (up two percent).

The big but

In terms of births, an increase of 19.4 percent was registered in 2021 compared to the previous year.

The clinic only had to accept a slight drop of 4.1 percent in 2021 compared to 2020 in inpatient operations.

According to Kreuzer’s report, occupancy of the house was 65.7 percent in 2021, which was also a whopping increase compared to the 57 percent in 2020.

Clinic managing director Maren Kreuzer: "This occupancy rate is far from sufficient." © FT-Archiv

The big but: "This occupancy figure is far from sufficient," says Kreuzer, one must and wants to get back to the approximately 75 percent occupancy rate from the pre-Corona period.

The fact that a deficit of 4.4 million euros was ultimately incurred at the end of 2021 is also due to the fact that the federal government reduced the compensation payments for hospitals in 2021.

Managing Director ventures the first forecasts for 2022

And because the first five months of 2022 have already passed, Kreuzer was also able to draw an interim balance for the year: The clinic occupancy rate to date is 67.6 percent, which is an increase compared to the same period in 2021 (62 percent) and 2020 ( 59.3 percent) mean.

The situation is difficult because there are more and more things in the clinic that have been avoided in the many months of the corona pandemic: staff absences due to illness and a general shortage of staff.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)

If you take everything together, pay attention to tariff increases, factor in the new state base case value and don’t forget the politically desired additional expenditure of 2.1 million euros, for example through the large area allowance, Kreuzer calculates – depending on the development of the Covid 19 situation – 2022 a deficit of three million euros.

The aim is, of course, to “catch up on the losses caused by the pandemic and to advance strategic development,” said Kreuzer.

Petz's conclusion: "The hospital is on the up."