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Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach
Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE / REUTERS
According to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, a first draft law for the planned major hospital reform is to be presented by the summer break.
The SPD politician announced this on Thursday after consultations with the health ministers of the federal states and experts from the coalition groups.
He wants a joint approach with the federal states, “so that you then have a reform that everyone has worked on”.
Accordingly, the draft law should be created in working groups with the federal states - this procedure is rather rare.
In the next few weeks, various aspects of the reform are to be fine-tuned, such as the financial structure or the design of the different hospital levels and service groups.
»A good day for federal-state relations«
Country representatives were satisfied with this approach.
It was "a good day for federal-state relations," said Baden-Württemberg's Health Minister Manne Lucha (Greens), who also chairs the Health Ministers' Conference.
Previously, CDU-led countries in particular had mocked Lauterbach's intervention in their hospital planning.
Some worried that the minister was simply about hospital closures.
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Bavaria's Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) called for more money for the plans.
»Without additional funds for the clinics, Lauterbach's hospital reform is doomed to fail.
Hospitals are missing out on billions of dollars every year simply because of the increased operating costs and the declining number of patients,” he said.
Switching conference on expert proposals
The switching conference dealt with the implementation of proposals from an expert commission for reforming hospital structures and financing.
On the table are proposals for lowering the so-called flat-rate fees on the one hand and for a stronger focus on so-called flat-rate fees on the other hand.
In the future, clinics could receive up to 60 percent of their income regardless of the number of their patients or the number of operations.
In addition, greater specialization of the clinics is planned.
The reform needs the approval of the federal states.
They are responsible for hospital planning and also for investments in the houses.
"We are on the eve of a necessary revolution in the hospital sector," said Lauterbach.
Without major reform, many hospitals would go bankrupt.
Various stakeholders have already criticized that the reform is taking too long.
mfh/dpa
