Federal Minister of Health Prof. Lauterbach emphasizes that only clinics that also meet the quality criteria for certain services receive the upfront flat rates: “Patients can rest assured that the hospital treatments offered are always necessary and can be carried out by the hospital with the appropriate quality. “ In addition, the provision fee of 60% is a guarantee of existence for small clinics. In this way, comprehensive medical care can be secured, especially in rural areas – despite the falling number of cases.
The agreement in detail:
The outdated system of flat rate per case will be terminated. Instead, necessary clinics receive flat rates. That means they get a kind of livelihood guarantee, even if they offer comparatively few treatments. Thus, the quality and no longer the quantity determines the supply. The new system of upfront flat rates gives hospitals the chance to survive. Patients can rest assured that their treatment is really necessary and well done. After the summer break, the federal government will present its own law on transparency. Patients have a right to know which hospital offers which services with which quality. The transparency offensive is scheduled to start on January 1, 2024.
The draft law will be drawn up over the summer on the basis of the agreed key points and then introduced into the parliamentary process. After the law has been passed, the reform will be continuously evaluated to assess its impact.