Rescue service in Hesse Krankt: demand for radical reform!

Rescue service in Hesse Krankt: demand for radical reform!

Hessen, Deutschland - The health insurance companies in Hesse raise the alarm: the emergency services faces serious problems. In a current test report it is found that the existing structures have been inefficient for years and endanger patient safety. Claudia Ackermann, head of the Hesse VDEK state representative, makes it clear that the patients are the victims of these grievances. Above all, communication between the rescue control centers and the teams of operations is criticized as cumbersome, which makes quick help difficult. According to the Tagesschau, the differences in emergency care are considerable, which raises further questions.

Currently there are 25 independent rescue control centers in Hessen, which are criticized for their inefficiency and high costs. The fees for emergency control centers have risen by 73% in the past ten years, where, on the other hand, the costs for patient transport have even been skyrocketed by 97%. Here the cash representatives see a need for action, because a honorary value Reform could not only improve the quality of patient care, but also potentially reduce costs.

urgent reforms required

A central requirement is the introduction of a virtual health control center. This new institution is intended to network all existing rescue control centers and enable better, targeted patient steering. Uniform emergency queries and the implementation of telemedical care are planned, which should help to quickly identify real emergencies and to bring them into highly qualified treatment units. Especially in the case of critical illnesses, such as heart attacks and strokes, the patients would then have underlined direct access to specialists such as Frank Dastych, CEO of the Hessen Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. He emphasizes that the survival organization should be in the foreground and criticizes that a lot focuses on auxiliary periods that often only exist on paper.

In Hessen, the need for a fundamental reform of the emergency services has been discussed for some time. As part of the modernization of the supply structures, the reforms in the emergency services and emergency care play a central role. A cabinet design for a new emergency law was presented in July 2024 to relieve the emergency rooms and to improve the connection between emergency services and outpatient medical care. VDEK requires an expansion of the existing control centers to health control centers that can coordinate various supply offers. It remains to be seen whether these measures will lead to a noticeable improvement for patients and the employees in the emergency services.

political support and challenges

The reform demands not only find support in the professional world, but also in large associations such as the German Red Cross and the Federal Association of Private Rescue Services in Hesse. These organizations are committed to the fact that even private providers are no longer excluded from tenders in order to promote competition and to ensure the best possible care for the patients. The constant increasing expenditure in healthcare, especially for the emergency services, urgently require solutions.