Thuringians rely on quality: Longer routes to the best clinic accepted!

Thuringians rely on quality: Longer routes to the best clinic accepted!

In Thuringia, health and the quality of treatment are becoming increasingly important. A current survey by the forsa institute, which was carried out on behalf of AOK PLUS, shows that the majority of Thuringians are willing to accept longer journeys for better medical care. A proud 81 percent of those surveyed are of the opinion that the quality of treatment is more important than the proximity to the clinic. This is a clear statement and is particularly reflected in serious procedures: 74 percent would willingly travel an hour or more for complicated operations on the heart or lungs.

The survey results also show that around half of those surveyed are not afraid of longer journeys for less risky procedures on the knee or hip. Interestingly, proximity to the clinic only plays a role in choosing a clinic for 46 percent. Cleanliness, the clinic's good reputation and recommendations from general practitioners or specialists are the decisive factors for patients' choice. Many people recognize the need for hospital structural reform, which aims to specialize hospitals in certain service areas. This represents a paradigm shift initiated by former Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. abg-info.de reports on these developments.

The reform in detail

As the AOK emphasizes, the aim of the current reform is to introduce a nationwide service group system in hospital planning. This is intended to replace the previous, often non-transparent planning. In the future, around 60 to 70 performance groups will be defined, which have clear requirements for personnel, equipment and processes. This new structure promotes the specialization of clinics and ensures that more complex and risky treatments take place in fewer locations, while smaller hospitals concentrate on basic care.

Another notable element of the reform is the introduction of reserve financing. This takes structural costs into account regardless of the number of patients and thus ensures that the clinics can plan better financially. This reduces the pressure to achieve a certain number of treatments per year. Clinics benefit from guaranteed maintenance fees that cover personnel and infrastructure costs. According to klinikmanagement-akademie.de, this is a great opportunity for the quality of medical care, especially in rural regions where basic care needs to be secured.

The AOK’s assessment

Rainer Striebel, board member of AOK PLUS, emphasized that not every clinic has to offer all treatments. The demand for better quality will set the tone. In addition, almost half of Thuringians have already made use of the statutory health insurance on-call service 116 117, while more than half have received care via the emergency number 112. Such statistics show that 89 percent of those surveyed are satisfied with the response time of the emergency services.

For Thuringia as a whole, the survey shows that the population is prepared to commit to quality. The new concept could not only affect the clinics in Altenburg, Gera and the surrounding communities, but will also significantly lead to a reassessment of the hospital landscape throughout Germany. The AOK looks after over 57 percent of those with statutory health insurance in Thuringia and, with its current commitment, shows that the focus is on improving medical treatment. This gives hope for positive developments in healthcare. aok.de has published further information.