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Treatment in the hospital: Lauterbach promises a “revolution”
Photo: imageBROKER/Florian Bachmeier / IMAGO
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach promises Germany "a revolution that we absolutely need" with his hospital reform.
Case flat rates are to be reduced, and the rough assignment of specialist departments to hospitals is to be replaced by more precisely defined service groups.
The Minister of Health wants to take the economic pressure off the clinics.
The traffic light parties praise the plans as befitting their status, but they are not well received everywhere.
For
the left
, Lauterbach's plans don't go far enough.
It is good that Lauterbach has recognized the problem, said party leader Janine Wissler: "Unfortunately, he does not draw the necessary conclusions." Because: "Supplementing the case-based flat rates with a provisional flat-rate is not a system change," said Wissler.
She added, "The main problem is called for-profit medicine." If treatments are based on profit margins, something is fundamentally wrong.
Criticism also came from
Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)
.
"The reform proposals have very promising but also dangerous aspects," said Jens Baas, head of TC.
It is correct that levels of care are introduced and care in rural areas is being considered.
"On the other hand, the proposals for introducing maintenance costs are absolutely in the wrong direction." Baas continues: "If in future a considerable proportion of cash expenditure for hospitals is distributed by the state, bypassing the joint self-government, that will be a partial nationalization of the healthcare system."
In its recommendation, the hospital commission proposed defining a fixed amount as provision costs that hospitals receive depending on their assignment to a specific category.
Positive reactions came
from
other health insurance companies .
AOK boss Carola Reimann
spoke of "good impulses" for a major hospital reform.
The head of the
BKK umbrella organization, Franz Knieps
, rated the model as "bold and interesting".
The umbrella organization of hospital operators, the
German Hospital Society (DKG)
, welcomed "the fact that the reform discussion is finally being initiated with the proposals of the Hospital Reform Commission of Experts".
DKG CEO Gerald Gaß was cautious: "The planned changes in the financing and planning of the hospital system are a basis for discussing the extent to which they can be implemented and are practicable."
Lauterbach still has to implement the commission's recommendations in a legislative initiative.
The minister has already taken the first steps towards reform with a reform of children's clinics and maternity wards, which was passed last week.
The Commission also wants to work on further recommendations.
ptz/dpa/AFP
