Growing concerns and mounting pressure are being directed towards the German Federal Hospital Atlas, a project initiated during the tenure of former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. A joint letter addressed to current Health Minister Nina Warken, signed by the Federal Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer), the Joint Federal Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss – GBA) representing physicians and health insurers and the German Hospital Federation (Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft – DKG), is calling for the Atlas’s discontinuation.
The letter argues that the Atlas has failed to fulfill its stated purpose of providing comprehensive and objective information to citizens. The signatories express concerns that the substantial resources dedicated to the Atlas are disproportionate to the value provided, ultimately impacting both patient care and the financial contributions of taxpayers.
The letter specifically criticizes the initial design and implementation of the Atlas, alleging it served political objectives beyond patient information, particularly highlighting the contentious expansion of data collection from hospitals without a demonstrable return on investment.
Furthermore, the signatories express anxiety about the allocation of resources within the Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Healthcare (IQTIG), the organization tasked with managing the Atlas. They believe the high costs associated with the Atlas are diverting resources away from crucial quality assurance initiatives.
As a potential alternative, the medical community and hospital representatives are promoting the “German Hospital Directory” a self-developed portal currently used to provide information to patients. This directory, they propose, could be expanded to include the planned publication of recognized hospital certifications and could be supplemented with an independent advisory board. The signatories urge Minister Warken to consider incorporating this approach when evaluating the future of the Federal Hospital Atlas.
