The most important thing in brief:
- The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz is an important step towards modern and sustainable hospitals in Germany.
- Eligible measures: Projects in the areas of patient portals, digital documentation, IT security and emergency capacities are funded. The aim is to improve patient care and make processes more efficient.
- Importance of IT security: Hospitals are required to invest at least 15% of funding in improving IT security in order to meet increasing data protection and data security requirements.
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz (KHZG) is an important step towards modern and sustainable hospitals in Germany. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that our healthcare system is facing major challenges and urgently needs to be reformed. The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz is intended to help promote digitization in healthcare and make hospitals fit for the future.
What does the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz contain?
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz comprises a total of three billion euros in funding for hospitals in Germany. The funds are to be used, among other things, for digitization, the expansion of emergency rooms and the modernization of hospital infrastructure. The aim is to improve the quality of medical care in Germany and to better prepare hospitals for future crises.
How is the money distributed in Germany?
The money is distributed across the countries that are responsible for implementing the law. Hospitals can submit applications for funding, which are then reviewed and approved by the federal states. It is expected that larger hospitals in particular will benefit from the funding, as they have better infrastructure and more resources to implement the requirements of the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz.
What specific measures are planned as part of the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz?
The law provides for a variety of measures that must be implemented by hospitals in order to benefit from the funding. These include:
- Digitalization: Hospitals should be able to use digital applications such as electronic health records (ePA) or telemedicine. For this purpose, Investments in IT infrastructure and staff training is necessary.
- Expansion of emergency rooms: Emergency rooms are to be modernized and expanded to avoid bottlenecks and long waiting times. The aim is to improve patient care and reduce pressure on the healthcare system.
- Modernization of hospital infrastructure: Hospitals are to be modernized and brought up to date in order to ensure better care for patients. These include investments in medical technology, equipping hospitals with modern beds and renovating buildings.
Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz: Mandatory Criteria
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz Mandatory criteria define binding requirements that hospitals must meet for funded digitization projects. These include, among others, the interoperability of IT systems based on open standards such as HL7 FHIR, which IT security in accordance with § 75c SGB V as well as a current information security concept, often according to BSI IT basic protection. Even the Data protection in accordance with GDPR, particularly when dealing with sensitive health data, is mandatory. In addition, measures must sustained be designed and ensure long-term improvement of supply processes.
There are other requirements specific to the facts, such as a structured digital Care and treatment documentation (fact 6), the integration of a electronic medication management with interaction testing (fact 3) or the provision of a digital patient portal with secure authentication (Incident 2). Compliance with these criteria is a prerequisite for funding — a violation can result in the repayment of funds that have already been approved. Tools such as Docusnap can support hospitals in the structured documentation and review of these criteria, for example through transparent presentation of the IT landscape, security analyses and evidence of system compliance.
How is the law received by the population?
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz is received positively by many people, as it represents an important step towards modern and sustainable hospitals in Germany. In particular The promotion of digitization in healthcare is welcomed by many people, as this can improve patient care. However, there is also criticism of this law, as it is feared that larger hospitals in particular will benefit from the funding and that smaller hospitals could be disadvantaged.
What are the long-term effects of the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz?
In the long term, it will help hospitals in Germany become more modern and sustainable. By promoting digitization and modernizing hospital infrastructure, the quality of medical care in Germany will be improved and hospitals will be better prepared for future crises. However, it will also take some time before the measures of the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz are implemented and take effect.
Conclusion
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz (KHZG) is an important step towards modern and sustainable hospitals in Germany. The funding is intended to help promote digitization in healthcare and make hospitals fit for the future. The KHZG's specific measures include digitization, the expansion of emergency rooms and the modernization of hospital infrastructure. In the long term, the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz will help improve the quality of medical care in Germany and make hospitals better prepared for future crises. However, there will also be some challenges, particularly in implementing measures and distributing funding. The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz Mandatory Criteria In this way, define binding requirements that hospitals must meet for funded digitization projects.
FAQs on the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz
What is the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz?
The Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz is a law that is intended to promote the modernization and digitization of hospitals in Germany. For this purpose, the federal government is providing the federal states with funding of 3 billion euros.
How are funds from the KHZG distributed?
The money is distributed to hospitals by the countries. Hospitals can submit applications for funding, which are then reviewed and approved by the federal states.
What specific measures does the Act provide for?
Among other things, it includes measures for digitization, the expansion of emergency rooms and the modernization of hospital infrastructure. The aim is to improve the quality of medical care in Germany and make hospitals fit for the future.
How is the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz received by the population?
It is received positively by many people, as it represents an important step towards modern and sustainable hospitals in Germany. However, there is also criticism, as it is feared that larger hospitals in particular will benefit from the funding and that smaller hospitals could be disadvantaged.
What are the long-term effects?
In the long term, the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz will contribute to making hospitals in Germany more modern and sustainable. By promoting digitization and modernizing hospital infrastructure, the quality of medical care in Germany will be improved and hospitals will be better prepared for future crises.
What are the implementation challenges?
One of the biggest challenges in implementing the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz will be the fair distribution of funding. Since larger hospitals in particular will benefit from the money, smaller hospitals could be disadvantaged. It will also take some time for the measures to be implemented and take effect.
What are the long-term goals of the Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz?
The long-term goal is to improve medical care in Germany and make hospitals fit for the future. To this end, hospitals are to be modernized and digitalized in order to ensure better patient care and to be better prepared for future crises.
