Berlin – The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has presented a key issues paper for a reform of the hospitals, which is the basis for further talks with the federal states. According to the Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek), the measures are going in the right direction to improve the quality of hospital care. For patients, this can create more transparency about the range of services offered by the hospitals. “People must be able to trust 100 percent that they are being treated in the right hospital, with high quality and with sufficient specialist staff,” says Ulrike Elsner, Chairwoman of the vdek. Another important prerequisite is that the bottom line is that the supply does not become more expensive. The biggest problem in the future, however, is finding enough skilled workers.
Ensure quality through performance groups and nationwide quality criteria
In order to achieve the quality goals, the vdek shares the approach of structuring the care according to service groups in the future according to the NRW model and defining nationwide quality criteria for them. According to Elsner, this is absolutely necessary in order to establish the same quality standards across the board. If the reform is to actually work, it is imperative that the health insurance companies and hospitals be involved in the further implementation process.
Upfront cost financing must be designed to be neutral in terms of revenue compensation
In the opinion of the vdek, financing the maintenance costs is a step in the right direction in order to avoid pressure on hospitals to expand services. However, when calculating the maintenance costs based on quality aspects, it must be ensured that the financing in the various phases of the introduction is actually neutral in terms of revenue and that the current case flat rates (DRGs) – as described in the key issues paper – are reduced accordingly. “Owning costs must necessarily be linked to quality. The principle applies here: first determine the quality, then determine the maintenance costs,” says Elsner.
More transparency through the introduction of hospital care levels
Even if the hospital levels should no longer play a final role in the assignment of service groups, it is important to stick to them for reasons of transparency, according to the vdek. The distinction between Level II (basic care with integrated outpatient/inpatient care), Level In (basic care with emergency level I), Level II (regular and specialized care with emergency level II) and Level III (maximum care with emergency level III) gives patients a first indication Orientation on the quality of the range of services. It is positive that the system of emergency levels of the Federal Joint Committee should be used when defining the levels.
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.