Hoyer: ‚Many clinics withdraw voluntarily‘

Abstract

‚The concentration of care on hospitals with high case numbers is good news for the chances of survival of very small premature babies. This is because scientific studies clearly show that with a higher number of cases, the complication rates and mortality risk of the children treated are lower,‘ emphasises Jens Martin Hoyer, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the AOK-Bundesverband. ‚The decision of the Federal Joint Committee to increase the minimum volumes is now having an effect - and that makes absolute sense in terms of patient safety.‘ However, it is possible that individual maternity wards may still be authorised to provide care by the responsible state authority despite falling below the minimum quantity. ‚These locations are then added to the AOK map, but with a special colour coding and with details of the last case numbers achieved,‘ says Hoyer.