Germany’s Hospital Association in North Rhine-Westphalia Urges Digital Surcharge on Medical Bills
The Hospital Association in North Rhine-Westphalia (KGNW) is calling for a digital surcharge on all medical bills to enable hospitals to further advance digitalization. The association’s managing director, Matthias Blum, emphasized in an interview with the Rheinische Post that the costs of digitalization, such as those for qualified personnel, have not been adequately refinanced to date. A two-percentage-point digital surcharge on every hospital bill could cover these new expenses and ensure the long-term sustainability of the clinics, Blum said.
Blum also urged the Federal Minister of Health, Nina Warken, to take action on the issue, warning that an additional source of deficits, in addition to the still unaddressed inflation costs, is not acceptable.
Meanwhile, the industry is celebrating the good grades in the nationwide digital radar, with the association’s managing director, Matthias Blum, stating that the new digital radar assessment shows that hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia have made a significant leap forward from 2021 to 2024. The association’s hospitals currently score 44.5 out of a possible 100 points, a ten-point improvement and remain above average, Blum noted. In the inter-state comparison, the North Rhine-Westphalian hospitals have improved from fifth place to third, with only the clinics in Berlin and Saxony achieving better results.