10 percent of clinics threatened by closure

Ten percent of hospitals threatened by closure

06.05.2011

Numerous German hospitals are threatened in their existence, so the result of the current „Hospital Rating Reports“ of the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI). About ten percent of the clinics will, according to the statement of the RWI President Christoph Schmidt to the „ZDF“ in the coming years under considerable financial pressure.

Of the approximately 2,000 clinics in Germany, around 200 are endangered, according to the RWI president. Above all, clinics that can not generate their required investment costs are threatened with closure, explained Christoph Schmidt. The RWI comes in the current „Hospital Rating Report“ to the conclusion that every tenth hospital in Germany is in serious financial difficulties.

Cost pressure and demographic change necessitate hospital closures
The president of RWI blamed the impending closure of ten percent of German clinics primarily on rising cost pressure from advances in medical technology and demographic change. But also the reduction of state funds have a significant share of the financial distress of the clinics. However, the president of the RWI does not advise to rescue the endangered hospitals, but urges the politicians to give in to the predicted trend. Schmid stressed that „the local politics (...) too often protectively the hand over deficient hospitals“ hold what is not in the interest of the patients and pity medical care. The economist therefore advocated this, „It is better to put money into the hand in order to create a better structure - also through pooling, even through closure - than to maintain something that can no longer function“. According to Schmid, especially municipal hospitals in West Germany are threatened, most of which can not generate their required investment costs today.

Clinics are under pressure from the healthcare reform
According to the calculations of the RWI, about every tenth hospital in Germany will come under pressure, but according to the German Hospital Association (DKG) it is not only due to uneconomic structures or location causes. The managing director of the DKG, Georg Baum, emphasized that the cuts to the reorganization of the statutory health insurances decided upon with the health reform have a substantial share of the financial problems of most clinics. Thus, the clinics this year only 0.3 percent room for price increases, reported the DKG CEO. At costs in the „Boom pace“ Explode financial difficulties are therefore inevitable. Tree warned that „the politicians take the warning signs out of the houses seriously“ in order not to endanger medical care. So should the federal government their „to rethink the next round of cuts already in the law for 2012“, otherwise the clinics would be deprived of another 600 million euros, explained the DKG Managing Director.

Health insurance companies reject concessions to support the clinics
By the suggestions of the DKG managing director however the legal health insurance funds felt provoked and the top federation of the legal health insurances rejected the suggestions immediately. According to Johann-Magnus von Stackelberg, the deputy chief of the statutory association of statutory health insurances, there is no room for maneuvering in the in-patient ward in the face of imminent financial difficulties. The sharp rise in spending in the hospital sector is already a significant test of suffering for statutory health insurance companies. According to Johann-Magnus von Stackelberg, statutory health insurance funds are expected to spend just under € 18 million more on hospital care this year than they did in 2008 (more than € 60 billion compared to € 52.6 billion in 2008). (Fp)

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Picture: Günter Havlena