Who Becomes the Next German Health Minister? Less Hospitals, Less Beds

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Bundesverband Medizintechnologie e.V., Reinhardtstraße 29b, D-10117 Berlin Tel.: 030 / 24 62 55 - 0, Fax: 030 / 24 62 55 - 99, E-Mail: [email protected], http://www.bvmed.de

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Healthcare Compliance: Who becomes the next German health minister? A network for more safety Berlin. BVMed aims at establishing a net- Berlin. The days of the grand coalition (CDU/CSU and (10.7 percent). Merkel‘s conservatives won 33.8 per- work of Healthcare Compliance Officers SPD) and of healthcare minister Ulla Schmidt (SPD) cent, while SPD support reached a low of 23 percent in hospitals and medtech companies to are numbered. The Christian Union of CDU/CSU un- from 34.2 percent (in 2005). Support for the FDP, build up an exchange forum for ques- der the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel and which campaigned on a platform of tax cuts, jum- tions and assistance on cooperations the Free Democrat Party (Liberals) have won the Ger- ped by five points to 14.6 percent. The outcome is in the healthcare market. This network man general election on September 27, 2009. Mer- a crucial disaster for the SPD, which slumped to its is one of the primary objectives of the kel won a second term and ditched the center-left worst result since World War II. BVMed initiative Medtech Compass. The Social Democrats with whom she has shared power Who will be the successor of health minister Ulla newly published dispatch can be down- in an uneasy coalition since 2005. The Liberals have Schmidt (SPD). If the CDU will claim the ministry, loaded at www.medtech-kompass.de. been the preferred partner of the Christian Union. family minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) will - However, the coalition‘s majority in the Bundestag according to CDU experts - most likely be the new lower house of parliament will be narrow, as a weak health minister. She is a physician herself and clai- Support of implementation of inno- SPD is accompanied by a stronger left-wing party med the ministry in the election campaign. vations: Special BVMed newsletter „The Linke“ (11.9 percent) and a strong Green Party Read more at: www.medinsight.de. Berlin. In a special newsletter of its innovation initiative "Fortschritt erLeben" BVMed provides important information Less hospitals, less beds, more cases on the innovation clause of the DRG sys- tem and analyzes the application of new Wiesbaden. 17.4 million people were given fully sta- were available. Compared with 2007, there were 20 examination and treatment methods tionary treatment in one of the 2,067 hospitals in hospitals and 7,500 beds less. (NUB). The NUB applications to the DRG- Germany last year. This means 200,000 more peo- The changes are primarily to be put down to hospi- Institute (InEK) must be made until Octo- ple were treated than the previous year. In 2008, an tals in public ownership. The number of public hos- ber 31 2009. average stay in hospital for a patient was 8.1 days, pitals dropped by 17 to 660, the number of beds whereas the average was 8.3 days in 2007. This available there by 7,200 to 243,000. Thus, practically has been stated by the Federal Statistical Office every other hospital bed (48.7 percent, previous year Cooperation in the aids sector: (www.destatis.de) on the basis of provisional results 49.4 percent) is still managed by a public owner. Recommendation on tenders of hospital statistics. More at: www.destatis.de. Berlin. BVMed sees the development of In Germany‘s 2,067 hospitals, a total of 500,000 beds the "Joint Recommendations on the ap- propriateness of tenders in the aid sector" as a positive indication of a good cooperation between the Statutory Health MedInsight Germany: Insurance Association and the aid pro- viders. "The aid sector is moving closer Latest News on Europe’s Biggest Market! together and meet their new statutory mandate exemplary" said BVMed Direc- tor General and member of the board Joachim M. Schmitt.

Surplus for health insurance funds in first half of 2009 Berlin. The financial situation of the Sta- tutory Health Insurance Funds has fur- ther stabilized following the start of the health pool. In the first half of 2009 the funds realized a surplus of about 1.2 billion euros. For 2009 allocations of 167 billion euros from the health pool will be available, eleven billion euros more Berlin. MedInform has published a new issue of date on the German Hightech Strategy for Medical than in 2008. MedInsight Germany, a background report au- Technology; DRG case-fee catalog 2010: draft now thored by the German MedTech experts Joachim online; Surplus for health insurance funds in first M. Schmitt and Manfred Beeres together with half of 2009. (...) Ärzteblatt still leading German Sarah Smiley from AdvaMed. MedInsight gives the journal for physicians latest news on Europe’s biggest medtech market. AdvaMed, EUCOMED and BVMed member com- Cologne. The medical journal Deutsches panies can receive "MedInsight Germany" at a dis- Ärzteblatt is still the most important Topics from the new issue are e. g.: counted subscription price of 600 euros per year (10 source of information for practice-based German election decision: Merkel wins second issues). The normal subscription fee is 1,200 euros physicians in Germany, a current analysis term; Deadline for NUB applications: October for one year. You can order a free trial copy of Med- of medical journal readership (LA Med) 31st; Forecast 2050: Diseases on the rise; Future Insight at: [email protected]. found out. More at: www.la-med.de. industries: Out of the crisis with research; Up- More at: www.medinsight.de.