Every fifth hospital is in the red

The economic situation of many hospitals is "extremely critical“. Every fifth clinic is now in the red.

03/12/2010

The financial situation of German hospitals and clinics is worse than previously thought. According to a recent investigation of the „Hospital Barometer 2010“ The economic situation of many clinics is extremely critical. According to experts, due to the deficit, even hospital closures are threatening.

Every fifth hospital affected
Every fifth hospital is in the red: Collective bargaining agreements and the resulting higher pay agreements and savings periods have put some 20 percent of hospitals in financial distress. Of the 2100 hospitals, 400 are currently affected: „As a result of the statutory savings measures, the gap between costs and revenues will clearly diverge in 2011“, warned the managing director of the German hospital company (DKG), Georg Baum. Here tree relied on the current evaluations in the „Hospital Barometer 2010“ this Friday in Berlin. From this situation, further mergers of individual clinics and even closures could follow. According to the latest evaluations of the German Hospital Association, the number of hospitals has been reduced by 180 facilities in the last ten years. „Once again it becomes clear that the hospitals can not give discounts to the health insurance companies“, underlined tree.

Background of the savings rounds in the course of health care reform
In the past year, the hospitals received even more funds under the Hospital Financing Reform Act. In the course of the health care reform, the black-yellow federal government cuts the additional revenue of hospitals in the coming year 2011. Taken together with the negotiated collective bargaining agreements and the higher social security contributions, according to the DKG, the institutions have to raise more money for staff than they can actually post on additional revenue.

Health insurance companies reject criticism
The statutory health insurance funds reject the call for more money for the clinics on the part of the hospital association. Rather, comprehensive reforms are needed to ease the situation. „It can not be up to contributors to finance incrusted structures from their wallets, with every fifth hospital bed empty“, said association spokesman of the coffers Florian Lanz. Because the expenditures for treatments in hospitals increased themselves with the legal health insurance companies in the last year 2009 by three per cent. Thus, in 2009, the health insurances had to raise around 55.4 billion euros in hospital alone for therapy costs. In terms of total health insurance funds, the clinics come first with 34.5 percent. Just ten years ago, it was just € 43.3 billion.

Investments without equity are not possible
With the „Hospital Barometer 2010“ The hospitals were also asked about their investment opportunities. The answers reflect the decline in the provision of investment funds for years. Although obligated by law to do so, the funding share of the federal states amounts to approximately 2.8 billion euros and accounts for about 50 percent of the investments made. Without own funds and funds, as well as borrowing, the clinics would have long been disconnected from modernity and progress.

10.7 million outpatient emergencies treated in clinics
According to the DKI evaluations, around 10.7 million patients in the German general hospitals were treated as outpatients in the last year of 2009. This means that every day and every clinic provides on average 20 emergency patients. If the outpatient emergency services are compared with the inpatient case numbers of the clinics, then there are about 100 outpatient cases for around 63 outpatient emergencies. Tree: „This performance of the hospitals must be taken into account in the legal framework for outpatient emergency care. The clinics can no longer serve as stopgaps.“, so the DKG requirement.

Hospital day warns of higher cash contributions
The German hospital day warned against one „health policy“. Due to demographic change and medical progress, healthcare spending would continue to increase. As the vice president, the Association of senior hospital doctors, Hans-Fred Weiser, said, threatened in the future, high cash contributions of about 20 percent and in 2050 even a contribution rate of 42 percent. The policy should therefore finally start, „to develop effective action concepts.“ The new law on the financing of statutory health insurance funds (GKV-Financing Act), developed in the context of the health care reform, is held by the vice-presiding officer Weiser „for no big litter“. Overall, therefore, insured persons in particular must be prepared for higher contributions. (Sb)

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Picture: Rainer Sturm