Uncertainty surrounds hospital reforms in Germany

Important questions still need to be clarified regarding Germany’s Hospital Care Improvement Act, which goes into effect on 1 January 2025, according to Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessling, head of the German Roentgen Society's (DRG's) working group on hospital reform.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Wessling. Image courtesy of the DRG.

“There are now fears that the detailed work on the law that is urgently needed for practical implementation will be delayed. The DRG and the radiological organizations will continue to be persistent in their involvement in the ongoing process and will do persuasive work at all political levels,” Wessling said in a statement issued on 18 December.

The new law was passed by the German parliament in November and is aimed at reorganizing the country’s health sector by cutting the number of hospitals, boosting clinics, and digitalizing bureaucracy, according to reports.

In his statement on the law, Wessling noted that it is still unclear how the federal government will finance the upcoming restructuring, as well as what the uniform quality criteria and minimum case numbers should be, as these will determine whether a clinic is assigned certain service groups with corresponding provisional remuneration.

“We are also seeking dialogue with the responsible actors in the federal states and will work towards an adequate representation of radiological services in the overall system of service groups,” he said.