Clinics in northern Saxony: District Administrator plans Cashpool for a safe future!

Clinics in northern Saxony: District Administrator plans Cashpool for a safe future!

The district of North Saxony relies on a new approach in health care to secure the four clinics in the district until at least 2027. A cash pool is intended to help fix possible financial problems of the facilities without a clinic becoming the liquidity trap. The lvz reports that this model is responsible for this model call. The district council has already decided that the clinics in Torgau, Delitzsch, Eilenburg and Oschatz will work more closely together to be able to use synergies.

Antje Vogel, the head of the Office for Participation and District Councils, emphasizes that not only acute liquidity bottlenecks are to be feared, but also greater uncertainties due to the upcoming hospital reform.

The hospital reform and its challenges

The reform about the future of hospitals in Germany, which was announced by Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, encounters great resistance and hesitates. As reports the NDR, many clinics fight with their existence despite considerable financial support. In fact, between 2019 and 2023, municipalities in northern Germany spent around 1.3 billion euros to support their houses.

According to the managing director of the municipal clinic in Lüneburg, 80 to 95 percent of hospitals are unable to cover their operating costs. A billing of case flat rates leads to a pressure to treat many patients in a short time, which has become a real dilemma in recent years due to falling cases and inflation.

strategies in northern Saxony

In the district council of North Saxony, it was decided, among other things, that the municipal hospitals should cooperate closer through joint personnel statements, a common company medical service and mergers in the field of medical technology. The cashpool model stipulates that the district itself becomes part of this initiative and the clinics can support each other if payment problems occur.

The discussions about contractual regulations for this model are already in full swing. These endeavors are particularly important because the effects of hospital reform on the clinics are expected in the second half of 2026 at the earliest, which brings additional challenges in the current situation.

A look into the future

As in clinic management, the reform will significantly change the hospital landscape. A nationwide uniform performance group system is to be introduced in the planning, with 60 to 70 performance groups being defined. This should increase quality standards and make medical care more focused - for example, by concentration on specialized treatments in fewer clinics and strengthening basic care in rural regions.

This paradigm shift, which also introduces the predecessor, should take the structural costs into account and increase the predictability for clinics. The challenge for clinic managers will be to check their service portfolio and to develop new business models that take into account the financial framework.

at a time when the number of hospital beds in Germany increases and at the same time the pressure on the clinics grows, it is crucial that North Saxony and other regions react flexibly to the challenges. This is the only way to ensure that the patients continue to receive the necessary care. The coming months will show whether these measures will bring the desired success.