Following agreement on the transparency law: Hospital reform should be implemented quickly and consistently.

28.02.2024 16:56

The Hospital Transparency Act passed the mediation committee on February 21. This positive outcome is an important step towards structural changes in the hospital landscape. Firstly, it will ensure greater clarity and orientation for citizens. Secondly, the path to reform has been paved jointly by the federal and state governments with the Hospital Care Improvement Act (KHVVG).

„With the approval of the Transparency Act, new momentum has been gained in the implementation of hospital reform. Now, the urgently needed structural changes must be tackled with the Hospital Financing Act (KHVVG) and implemented in the coming years. Demographic change is forcing us to quickly make the hospital landscape future-proof. The Transformation Fund, with its €50 billion, is a powerful instrument to support structural changes such as the consolidation and conversion of hospital sites. This will allow us to achieve greater efficiency and better quality of care for patients,“ says Prof. Jens Scholz, Chairman of the Association of German University Hospitals (VUD).

„The agreement reached in the mediation committee includes a commitment to increase the state-level base rates for hospital cases. This will be money well spent if the Hospital Financing Reform Act (KHVVG) actually leads to a comprehensive transformation process in the hospital landscape. Additional funding must not, once again, simply obscure the well-known structural deficiencies. Instead, the reform must link hospital planning and financing so that hospitals receive a sound economic foundation commensurate with their role in healthcare provision. This has been a shortcoming in the past, one that university hospitals have long pointed out,“ said Jens Bussmann, Secretary General of the Association of University Hospitals (VUD).