Clinic reform in Hesse: Future-proof care for Frankfurt-Offenbach!

Clinic reform in Hesse: Future-proof care for Frankfurt-Offenbach!

The hospital care in Hessen is faced with fundamental changes that were presented in the Health and Social Committee on April 29, 2025 by Clinic Officer Bastian Bergerhoff (Greens). These reforms are particularly relevant for the Frankfurt-Offenbach supply area, which ranges from Usingen in the northwest to Schluechtern in the northeast. According to the Hessenagentur, the analyzes show that the number of patients in Hessen will increase by almost 8 % compared to 2021 by 2035, even by 18 % in Frankfurt-Offenbach.

Demographic change, especially aging the Boomer generation, is promoting this increase. At the same time, however, a decline in inpatient hospital stays is forecast by 3.4 % in Hesse and 1.8 % in Frankfurt-Offenbach. Despite these developments, an increase in the number of beds will be necessary to meet the increasing demand. This could be made more difficult by the shortage of skilled workers.

financing reform and needs analysis

The Federal Ministry of Health has announced a new legal ordinance on the creation of a Hessian hospital plan, which was originally supposed to be issued until March 31. From summer, the Hessian hospitals can apply for certain performance groups. However, it remains to be seen whether the deadline is sufficient until the end of the year to cover the needs of the clinics.

The two performance groups with the highest number of cases are general internal medicine and general surgery. Together, these make up about 91 % of inpatient cases. While the reform of the remuneration is striving to put the financing on a needs -based basis, there are concerns that only 51 % of the applications from clinics refer to these groups. 35 % of the applications are aimed at groups that cover 8 % of cases and 14 % on very rare groups.

criticism and support for the reform

The Minister of Health Diana Stolz has announced the implementation of the hospital reform in Hesse. It relies on cooperation with important partners such as the Hessian Hospital Society and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. However, proudly expressed “professional criticism” at some points in the federal reform and demands improvements, in particular with regard to the financing structures. The need for a comprehensive reform of the health system is by Prof. Dr. Christian Höftberger, the President of the Hessian Hospital Society, underlined.

The reform aims to ensure sustainable health care through concentration and bundling services. A transformation process, which is anchored in the Hessian health network, is intended to ensure faster accessibility in an emergency and high quality during interventions. Financial support for clinics is also an important aspect: since 2016, the budget for investments has been increased by 170 % to 390 million euros.

The transformation process is accompanied by six pension conferences in which various actors, including hospital society, association association and health insurance companies, work closely together. The provision of high -quality and future -proof health care and the networking of outpatient and inpatient care are in the foreground.