Date: January 18, 2021 – Topic

Many of the discussions we have with our customers about the provisions of the Hospital Futures Act (KHZG) are characterized by some uncertainty. This not only affects operators of hospitals and clinics, but also IT companies and public authorities. A particularly sensitive topic is the discount regulation, which is often heard about and from various directions, but whose exact definition is found neither in the KHZG nor in the guideline on the hospital future fund. Who would like to experience here more exactly and not rely thereby on hearsay, goes into the § 5 exp. 3h of the KHEntgG and into §19 of the hospital structure fund regulation. Here you can read:

The maximum amount of the deduction is 2% of the invoice amount for each full and partial inpatient case. The discount regulation already applies as of 01.01.2025.

A deduction will only not apply if all of the five digital services listed below are fully provided in the hospital:

– Patient portal (referral, discharge and during the time of stay)
– Electronic care and treatment documentation
– Clinical decision systems (CSS)
– Digital medication management (DMM)
– Digital service request (CPOE / OERR)

More detailed regulations on the discount procedure and the amount will be agreed by the German National Association of Health Insurance Funds and the German Hospital Federation.

However, it is already clear today that the amount of the respective discount depends (weighted proportionally) on the number of services not provided (see above) and also on whether and how much services provided are used in the hospital.

 

Date: January 15, 2021 – Messages

GÖK Consulting supports clinics in identifying, applying for and implementing eligible projects. The current crisis shows how important digitization is for healthcare and must therefore be driven forward more intensively. With the passing of the Hospital Future Act (KHZG), the German government aims to promote digitization in German hospitals. To this end, the federal and state governments have launched an investment program worth billions of euros to counteract the investment backlog in the area of digitization. Hospitals can apply for funding until the end of the year. With the help of a holistic consulting approach, GÖK Consulting supports customers in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the funding program.

GÖK Consulting is already supporting several hospitals on the path to digital transformation.  With the help of an analytical and systematic approach, GÖK Consulting supports the preparation and realization of funding applications. In addition to the short-term availability of free resources, which are urgently needed in the Corona crisis, the hospital benefits from the comprehensive expert knowledge of the GÖK consultants.

The range of services at a glance:

– IT inventory (IT short audit)
– Identification of eligible projects
– Professional preparation and execution of the application
– KHZG-compliant implementation of the funding criteria
– Project planning and implementation
– Creation of a digital strategy

GÖK Consulting looks back on more than 30 years of experience and hundreds of successfully completed projects in the field of digitalization in healthcare. The planning and implementation of the following eligible projects are among the core competencies of GÖK consultants:

– Updating the (information) technical equipment of the emergency room
– Implementation of a patient portal
– Digital care and treatment documentation system
– Automated and voice-based support systems
– Central process and order entry (CPOE systems)
– IT security and interoperability
– Digital medication management
– Implementation of decision support systems (CSS)
– Establishment of telemedicine network structures
– Robotics