In the photo: Dr. Martin C. Wolff at the podium on geopolitical threats
It was two intense days filled with discussions, new insights, and an inspiring political and professional program. In addition, there were many conversations and exchanges among colleagues. The 68th annual conference of the Association of Hospital Management in Germany (VKD), held on June 15th and 16th in Berlin and concluding yesterday afternoon, will surely have a lasting impact.
The first day of the conference began with the topic that is undoubtedly on the minds of all hospital managers – the economic situation that hospitals have been facing for some time now, but which is currently significantly more difficult than in previous years. In the midst of implementing a challenging hospital reform, a reform adjustment that offers only limited relief, the inadequately and never fully compensated inflation costs of recent years, and the special contribution of approximately €1.8 billion already due in 2025 to stabilize the statutory health insurance system, a savings package for health insurance funds is now set to significantly increase the financial burden on hospitals.
In his welcoming address, Parliamentary State Secretary Tino Sorge of the Federal Ministry of Health addressed the current situation and the proposed regulations. He explained that they would reassess where greater flexibility and relief from bureaucratic measures could be achieved, thus granting hospitals more leeway. However, he emphasized that the hospital sector would not be exempt from the legislation.
The statements made during the panel discussion with VKD President Dirk Köcher, DKG Chairman Dr. Gerald Gaß, VLK President PD Dr. Michael A. Weber, Alexianer CEO Dr. Christian von Klitzing, and Dr. Jürgen Malzahn representing the AOK Federal Association left nothing to be desired in terms of clarity. The hospital managers' concern was palpable, even though it was emphasized that they would now address the challenges. Possible solutions were also mentioned. However, there was little hope that the statutory health insurance savings law would undergo any significant changes. The consequences would come, and the insidious structural changes would certainly continue. The states probably still held the most leverage. If the law was passed in its current form, the resulting collateral damage would reveal how people would vote, because the state must be reliable in the core area of healthcare provision.
Yesterday, the second day, was dominated by practical, technical topics related to hospital resilience, embedded within the overarching theme of geopolitical threats and their global and local consequences. The day concluded with a presentation on the now ubiquitous issue of dealing with artificial intelligence and the necessary strategies that hospitals should/could develop to address it. Both presentations were inspiring and followed with great interest.
Life without a network – healthcare during a Berlin blackout – was the practical example vividly described by those directly involved in the incident in January of this year. The conclusions drawn afterward were also presented. The fact that the Berlin Senate has had a professional structure in place for this purpose for years demonstrated how to prepare for emergency situations, even though gaps still emerge that need to be addressed despite all preparations. Helge Franz, Head of Department 1 in the responsible Senate Administration, reported on this.
Roy J. Noack, Managing Director of Immanuel Hospital, and Bernd Quoß, Board Member of Waldfriede Hospital and affiliated facilities, described in detail the situation at the time for their respective hospitals, the resources already available to respond, the communication strategies employed, the necessity of a clear command structure in such situations, and also drew conclusions for further resilience improvements. These practical accounts could not have been more comprehensive and concrete – and they also led to further questions from the participants, which were addressed in the subsequent discussion.
There will continue to be plenty of discussion on the topic of resilience; further exchange of experiences is both inevitable and necessary. And that, after all, is the purpose of the VKD's annual conferences. The next one will take place in Berlin again next year.
Original Press Release: This is a translated version of the original German press release. To view the original text, Click Here (German).
Image Credit: VKD
