“Transparency directory” planned
The federal and state governments agree on a new hospital law
February 22, 2024, 1:39 a.m
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For months, the federal and state governments have been struggling to reorganize the clinics in Germany. After the law for more transparency in clinic treatments was stopped by the Federal Council in November, the mediation committee has now reached an agreement.
An agreement has been reached in the dispute over greater transparency in clinic treatments. In the Mediation Committee, representatives of the Bundestag and Bundesrat agreed on a planned law.
Now nothing stands in the way of a decision being made in the Federal Council, said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The clinics should also receive a “transformation fund” with a view to a planned major hospital reform, for which 50 billion euros are planned for ten years from 2025. The federal government and the states should each share half the sum.
The Federal Council initially stopped the transparency law passed by the Bundestag in November. The aim is to create an online atlas that provides patients with information about 1,700 clinic locations nationwide. It should be clear in the “transparency directory” which hospital offers which services. Data on treatment experience, the staffing ratio of doctors and nurses as well as complication rates for selected procedures should also be available. The launch of the portal is still planned for May 1st, as Lauterbach said.
The law also includes provisions for billions in additional liquidity for the clinics. It is intended to accompany a major reform with new regulations for remuneration for hospitals, which the federal and state governments have been negotiating for months. When the law was temporarily halted in the fall, several countries criticized the fact that it would forestall the planned major reform. They complained about interference with their sovereignty over hospital planning.