Criticism of hospital reform: Gerlach warns of danger for specialist clinics!

Bavaria's Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) has sharply criticized the recently passed hospital reform. Gerlach particularly addresses the threat to specialist clinics that do not fall under the federal definition. She warns that other hospitals could also run into existential problems if they do not meet the strict requirements of the service groups. Specialist clinics specialize in certain diseases or age groups and could be seriously disadvantaged by the reform.

The Federal Council has passed the hospital reform, which has been critically discussed for years. A significant change concerns the reimbursement of flat rates for treatment cases. From now on, clinics should receive 60 percent of the remuneration for providing certain offers. The aim is to reduce incentives for medically suboptimal interventions. Gerlach also criticizes the states' lack of flexibility in hospital planning and fears that the reform could limit the states' ability to adapt to changing care needs.

Impact on supply

Supply to the population could be affected, particularly in rural areas, as small-scale performance targets may no longer be met. The reform introduces the introduction of a new financing system for hospitals, which includes a retention fee. This reserve budget enables hospitals in need to receive money regardless of the services actually provided.

The retention fee secures 60 percent of the previous flat rate per case, while 40 percent must be earned through actual treatment cases. This means that the retention fee is only paid out to hospitals that have been assigned a service group and meet the corresponding quality criteria. Funding to fully cover the cost of care in hospitals remains unaffected, and staff costs for care continue to be paid according to the self-cost recovery principle. Additional surcharges are planned for areas such as pediatrics, obstetrics, stroke units, special traumatology, intensive care medicine and emergency care, as the Federal Ministry of Health explains.