Köpping calls for priority for hospital reform

Saxony's Health Minister Petra Köpping is unhappy with the federal government's approach to hospital reform. "Like all other states, I reject the federal government's hospital transparency law," the SPD politician said after a cabinet meeting in Dresden on Tuesday. She said it did not make sense to present this law before the hospital reform, as the law interfered with the hospital planning of the states.

With the transparency law recently passed by the federal cabinet, a "transparency directory" is to go online next year and, as an interactive portal, provide comprehensible information about the respective services offered at around 1700 hospital locations nationwide.

According to Köpping, the transparency law is causing confusion among patients. "This would be easy to prevent if first the reform is implemented and then the transparency law comes into force," the health minister explained. Incidentally, she said, there are already a variety of ways for patients to find out about the range of services offered by hospitals. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to go within ten days with a change suggestion to the countries.

Köpping stressed for the repeated time the urgency of the hospital reform and welcomed that the hospital structural change already accomplished in Eastern Germany is to be considered in the reform process. The hospital landscape in Saxony is already well positioned, he said. "We want to transfer existing, proven structures into the new system."

In addition, Köpping called for a change in the current financing system for hospitals. "The system of flat rates per case does not work." Hospitals are also necessary where there are only a few treatment cases. Until the reform takes effect, it is therefore imperative to have interim financing for the necessary operating costs in the form of a so-called preliminary law. This law is intended to avert hospital insolvencies. Funds are also needed for the transformation process. So far, however, there has been no commitment from the federal government for this.