Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to relieve the children’s hospitals by phasing out the case flat rates.
Image: dpa
Children’s hospitals should also get the full budget if they treat fewer cases. A draft law is intended to create incentives for patients to be referred to clinics where they can be better cared for.
BHealth Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has announced a timely draft law to relieve children’s hospitals. The crucial thing about the planned reform is that the pressure is taken off the clinics, said the SPD politician on Thursday in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. “We are about to complete a law where we want to relieve the burden on children’s hospitals throughout Germany.”
Clinics currently receive less money if they treat fewer cases, explained Lauterbach. “Now it should be the case that you get 100 percent of the budget even if you have 20 percent fewer cases.” That means you could refer cases to other clinics that could better care for the patients and still get the budget. This is an exit from the system of flat rates per case, which is a problem, according to the minister.
Lauterbach had already announced that he was planning the biggest hospital reform in the past 20 years. The elimination of night shifts should also bring relief to the hospitals. Appropriate treatments are to be carried out as day treatment with the consent of the patients in the future, so that fewer staff are required at night.