Science Journal of Public Health

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Inpatient Treatment - a Matter of Social Background in Germany

Received: 12 September 2021    Accepted: 29 September 2021    Published: 12 October 2021
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Abstract

Hospital financing in Germany is based on the principle of "dual financing": the operating costs of the hospitals, i.e. all costs that arise for treating patients, are financed by the health insurance companies. The investment costs, however, are financed by the federal states. The remuneration of the hospitals by the health insurance companies is based on the DRG system, which is a flat-rate billing system in which inpatient hospital treatments are billed as flat-rate fees, largely regardless of the length of the patient's stay. The DRG system is currently the subject of criticism because it makes it more difficult for children's clinics to cover costs, especially in pediatrics. On the basis of hospital billing data, there is a connection between the socio-economic status of a family and the likelihood of hospitalization in the event of a child's illness. The likelihood of inpatient treatment for certain pediatric diseases is significantly higher in economically weaker federal states. A proportionately higher inpatient treatment capacity is available in the affected federal states for this higher need. Should the poor financial situation of the federal states lead to the number of beds being rationed, the quality of care will deteriorate, especially for these children.

DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15
Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 9, Issue 5, September 2021)
Page(s) 169-172
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Solidarity, Inpatient Pediatrics, Hospital Care

References
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Author Information
  • Hausarztpraxis Neuburg, Neuburg, Germany; Project Management, Hochschule Wismar, Wismar, Germany

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    Fabian Holbe. (2021). Inpatient Treatment - a Matter of Social Background in Germany. Science Journal of Public Health, 9(5), 169-172. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15

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    Fabian Holbe. Inpatient Treatment - a Matter of Social Background in Germany. Sci. J. Public Health 2021, 9(5), 169-172. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15

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    AMA Style

    Fabian Holbe. Inpatient Treatment - a Matter of Social Background in Germany. Sci J Public Health. 2021;9(5):169-172. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15,
      author = {Fabian Holbe},
      title = {Inpatient Treatment - a Matter of Social Background in Germany},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {9},
      number = {5},
      pages = {169-172},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.15},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20210905.15},
      abstract = {Hospital financing in Germany is based on the principle of "dual financing": the operating costs of the hospitals, i.e. all costs that arise for treating patients, are financed by the health insurance companies. The investment costs, however, are financed by the federal states. The remuneration of the hospitals by the health insurance companies is based on the DRG system, which is a flat-rate billing system in which inpatient hospital treatments are billed as flat-rate fees, largely regardless of the length of the patient's stay. The DRG system is currently the subject of criticism because it makes it more difficult for children's clinics to cover costs, especially in pediatrics. On the basis of hospital billing data, there is a connection between the socio-economic status of a family and the likelihood of hospitalization in the event of a child's illness. The likelihood of inpatient treatment for certain pediatric diseases is significantly higher in economically weaker federal states. A proportionately higher inpatient treatment capacity is available in the affected federal states for this higher need. Should the poor financial situation of the federal states lead to the number of beds being rationed, the quality of care will deteriorate, especially for these children.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AB  - Hospital financing in Germany is based on the principle of "dual financing": the operating costs of the hospitals, i.e. all costs that arise for treating patients, are financed by the health insurance companies. The investment costs, however, are financed by the federal states. The remuneration of the hospitals by the health insurance companies is based on the DRG system, which is a flat-rate billing system in which inpatient hospital treatments are billed as flat-rate fees, largely regardless of the length of the patient's stay. The DRG system is currently the subject of criticism because it makes it more difficult for children's clinics to cover costs, especially in pediatrics. On the basis of hospital billing data, there is a connection between the socio-economic status of a family and the likelihood of hospitalization in the event of a child's illness. The likelihood of inpatient treatment for certain pediatric diseases is significantly higher in economically weaker federal states. A proportionately higher inpatient treatment capacity is available in the affected federal states for this higher need. Should the poor financial situation of the federal states lead to the number of beds being rationed, the quality of care will deteriorate, especially for these children.
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