I’m writing a newspaper article about the German healthcare system, and one point I
want to make is that there are many hospital beds in Germany. Why are there so
many? check here
Germany’s universal health insurance systemrequires a minimum number of acute hospital-care beds per head of population.
InGermany, the hospital-bed quota is set at 8.3% of total hospital capacity as of
2014, compared with 5.9% in France and 1.8% in Britain — according to data
from the OECD (pdf).
Manybelieve that this explains why so many hospitals have been built recently
across Germany’s rural areas, where there are often few doctors or general
practitioners willing to work.
The OECD puts the number at 8.3% of total hospitalcapacity as of 2014, compared with 5.9% in France and 1.8% in Britain.
The OECDputs the number at 8.3% of total hospital capacity as of 2014, compared with
5.9% in France and 1.8% in Britain. This is based on OECD data from 2014.
The OECD alsosays that Germany was below average in terms of how much time patients had to
wait for specialist treatment after being referred by their GP (18 days on
average), which is a key indicator for measuring access to care.
Hospitals are funded by the states through regionalsickness funds.
Hospitalsare funded by the states through regional sickness funds. These sickness funds
are public and pay for medical treatment in hospitals. They also offer other
services, such as outpatient care and rehabilitation. As a result, they manage
a large part of Germany’s health system.
Thehospital funding system has its roots in history: In 1948, the new German
constitution established a federal state with 16 separate Länder (states). Each
Land has its own parliament and government to represent local needs. The
federal government is responsible for making some laws at national level but
not others; these responsibilities were divided among six areas known as
“baskets.” This system was designed so that each basket would be handled
separately by either the state or federal levels of government—and it largely
still holds true today.
A 2013 OECD report said about half of all patientsadmitted to a hospital bed could be treated as outpatients.
You mightthink that half of hospital beds being used for outpatient care is a waste of
public money. You’d be right—it is. It’s also a waste of hospital beds,
doctors’ time and patient time. But what can we do about it?
But sickness funds are reluctant to send patientshome because they fear the complaints from the patient or their relatives if a
serious complication arises later on.
Butsickness funds are reluctant to send patients home because they fear the
complaints from the patient or their relatives if a serious complication arises
later on.
The morepatients hospitals treat, the more money they receive from health insurers.
This is because there are fixed costs for each hospital bed and these costs
cannot be reduced without reducing staff or material resources.
The “S2k” guidelines for medicalpractitioners, set up by health insurers, make it difficult for doctors to
discharge patients too quickly without being sued for negligence.
Onereason why there are so many hospital beds in Germany is that doctors fear
being sued by patients. This is because the “S2k” guidelines for
medical practitioners, set up by health insurers, make it difficult for doctors
to discharge patients too quickly without being sued for negligence.
Doctorsalso fear being sued by other healthcare professionals: nurses who think they
are not doing their job properly, or lawyers who believe that a patient
received inadequate care. As a result of this reluctance on the part of medical
professionals, it can take weeks before an elderly person with dementia is
released from hospital.
The more patients hospitals treat, the more moneythey receive from health insurers.
The morepatients they treat, the more money they receive from health insurers. The more
money they receive, the more they can invest in new technology and equipment.
Thebetter quality of care you get at a hospital, the more patients will want to go
there.
