Revolution in the clinic: New boss is planning radical austerity measures!

Revolution in the clinic: New boss is planning radical austerity measures!

Katja Bittner has held the position of the managing director of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg Clinic since mid-January 2025. The financial situation of the district group is described as "very serious". Your main task: reducing the deficit of around 40 million euros. By the end of March 2025, a catalog of measures is to be presented, which also contains forecasts on the future development of the clinic, reports Insuedthueringen.de .

In order to achieve the demanding financial goals, the managing director plans to summarize departments and avoid island solutions. The merging of two intensive care units should bring savings of around three million euros. Initial measures are to be implemented this year, in particular the focus on a stronger centralization of medical offers at a location. The economic situation, according to Bittner, "has to be improved very quickly and very clearly".

structural reform and personnel optimization

Personnel and the services offered are mentioned as crucial set screws for improving the financial situation. Compared to similar facilities, the personnel share of the clinic is 73 percent, while this value is 62 percent in other houses. The high personnel costs burden the district budget and hinder economic stability. In order to reduce the costs, a merging of departments is considered, which is also part of the process optimization, which is to be communicated by the end of March 2025.

The approach to the renovation of the clinic is also related to a cooperation between the district hospital in Rotenburg. According to hersfelder-zeitung.de , the first measures to reduce deficit are aimed at minimizing short-term liquidity loans that put a strain on the district budget. A new building in Bad Hersfeld is intended to help reduce a third of the existing deficit.

The challenge of the health system

The challenges for the Hersfeld-Rotenburg Clinic are part of a major problem in the German health system. Health expenditure amounted to 498 billion euros in 2022, which corresponds to 12.8 percent of gross domestic product. Germany occupies third place worldwide for health expenditure on GDP. This financial burden is exacerbated by demographic change and medical progress. According to bpb.de , 53 percent of health expenditure is eliminated on statutory health insurance, which illustrates the immense role of the system in the financing of the health system.

The problems of the Hersfeld-Rotenburg Clinic are not isolated. They reflect the financial and structural challenges with which many facilities are faced in Germany. Bittner therefore not only has to find short -term solutions, but also develop sustainable strategies to bring the clinic to a stable course.