At the hearing on the Hospital Reform Adjustment Act (KHAG), more than 130 associations and professional societies expressed concerns. The Association of Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) criticises the fact that the bill endangers the quality objectives of the Hospital Care Improvement Act (KHVVG), as existing approaches to improving inpatient care are withdrawn.

The AWMF demands that exceptions to quality criteria should only be limited in time and tied to development concepts. It advocates the implementation of its proposed changes to quality criteria and service groups, including infectiology, special paediatrics and adolescent medicine and emergency medicine. New service groups such as musculoskeletal tumor surgery or pain medicine are to be introduced to secure important areas of care. In addition, personnel and equipment criteria are to be given separate leeway in order to avoid disproportionate cost increases.

Other demands include the retention of the minimum nursing staff limits, the revision of the service group key system for precise case allocation and a revision of the examination guidelines of the Medical Service in order to reduce bureaucracy. The introduction of the performance group system must be scientifically evaluated, with the participation of the AWMF. The proposals have already been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health in two earlier statements.

Without these points taken into account, there is a risk of quality losses, higher costs and more bureaucracy, according to AWMF. The AWMF emphasizes the necessity of its involvement in the performance group committee, as its proposals are based on a consensus of over 300,000 professional society members.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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