Berlin, 22 November 2024 – The BDPK regrets today’s decision by the Bundesrat to allow the Federal Government’s Act to Improve Hospital Care (KHVVG) to enter into force without recourse to the Mediation Committee. In the opinion of the private hospital operators, this means that a great opportunity has been missed to eliminate gross technical errors and the disempowerment of the federal states in hospital planning before the KHVVG comes into force. It will now be an urgent task for the new federal government to correct these errors in subsequent legislation.
The BDPK sees a particularly urgent need for correction in the following areas:
- From 1 January 2027, health insurance funds will only be allowed to pay for hospital services that are allocated by the federal states in accordance with the federal overview of service groups pursuant to Section 135 e SGB V. This means that the federal states have de facto no room for manoeuvre when it comes to ensuring care in rural regions and specialist hospitals.
- The minimum reserve figures also undermine the scope for the federal states to decide on hospital planning. In addition, there are considerable regulatory doubts as to whether it makes sense to have a reserve payment that depends on the total number of patients.
- Furthermore, it is essential that the federal and state governments realise cost-covering financing of operating and investment costs. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The federal and state governments therefore bear the main responsibility for the economic dilemma in hospitals.
- There is a lack of sensible and effective incentives for more outpatient care in hospitals. Hospitals will have to expect even more accounting bureaucracy in the future.
Article released on the BDPK website. Read the article in German
