Kliniken am Limit – Wer überlebt die Krankenhausreform?

Everyone is talking about hospital reform – but what does it actually mean for medical care in Germany? In the documentary ‘Clinics at their limits – Who will survive the reform?’, Tatjana Mischke shows how profoundly the Hospital Care Improvement Act (KHVVG) could change our healthcare system.

A system in crisis – and a law that aims to change everything

Germany has one of the most expensive healthcare systems in Europe. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) set out with an ambitious goal: to reduce costs, improve quality and reform the system of flat-rate payments per case. However, the implementation of the KHVVG is causing one thing above all else among patients, doctors and hospital staff: fear.

Tatjana Mischke accompanies three hospitals in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in the midst of the reform process, and we witness how doctors, nurses and patients are fighting for the future and the preservation of healthcare.

The Mittelmosel Clinic in Zell (Rhineland-Palatinate) has already been lost and the hospital doors have been closed for good. The clinic was too unprofitable to operate and, due to hospital reforms, could not be maintained in the near future. Citizens and medical professionals fought to the end to keep it open. Will healthcare in the region still be secure without the hospital?

Im Kreiskrankenhaus Emmendingen (Baden-Württemberg) wurde gerade der Ausbau der OP-Säle mit Investitionen in Millionenhöhe unterstützt, jetzt ist unsicher, welche Leistungen in Zukunft noch angeboten werden dürfen. Keine einfache Aufgabe für den Geschäftsführer Armin Müller: Er muss nach innen Sicherheit kommunizieren und nach außen Kritik an der Reform üben. Denn dass sich der ökonomische Druck auf die Häuser in Zukunft verbessern würde, ist hier nicht erkennbar.

The hospital landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia has already been reformed. The reform is considered a blueprint for the other federal states. However, the challenges posed by the new hospital landscape are becoming apparent – from legal battles to gaps in care, which mean that some patients face hours of travel time. What can other federal states learn from the mistakes made in North Rhine-Westphalia?

An issue that affects us all

‘Clinics at their limits – who will survive the reform?’ uses simulations and expert discussions to show that while duplicate structures can be eliminated in cities, rural regions are threatened by so-called ‘white spots’ – areas where medical care is questionable.