Berlin – At today’s meeting of the federal-state working group on hospital reform, Ulrike Elsner, Chair of the Board of the Verband derersatzkassen e. V. (vdek):
“We observe with concern that the proposals of the government commission are being put into perspective from the ranks of the federal states and that additional funds from contributions from insured persons and employers are becoming the focus of negotiations. The aim of the reform must be to convert the hospital landscape into modern structures that ensure high-quality and networked care – also across sectors. People must be able to rely on the fact that they are being cared for in a hospital with sufficient specialist staff and high quality standards, and that this is presented transparently to the outside world. Firstly, this means that the services meet nationwide quality standards. Secondly, this means that hospitals should also be divided into levels for reasons of transparency, in order to be able to support patients in choosing a suitable hospital. The current quality reports from the hospitals are not sufficient. For this reason, we are grateful to the Government Commission on Hospital Reform for showing in its potential analysis last week that choosing the right hospital can make the difference between life and death.”
Current photos of the vdek CEOs for reporting can be found in our photo archive.
The Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek) represents the interests and service provider of all six health insurance companies, which together insure more than 28 million people in Germany:
– Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), Twitter: @TK_Press
– BARMER, Twitter: @BARMER_Presse
– DAK Health, Twitter: @DAKHealth
– KKH Commercial Health Insurance, Twitter: @KKH_Politik
– hkk – Handelskrankenkasse, Twitter: @hkk_Presse
– HEK – Hanseatische Krankenkasse, Twitter: @HEKonline
The Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek) was founded in Eisenach on May 20, 1912 under the name “Association of registered commercial relief funds (substitute funds)”. Until 2009, the association operated under the name “Association of Employee Health Insurance Funds e. V.” (VdAK).
More than 290 employees work at the vdek headquarters in Berlin. In the individual federal states, 15 state representations with a total of around 380 and more than 30 employees in the care bases ensure the regional presence of the substitute health insurance funds.