Wir überwinden Grenzen

Many things already implemented or on the way

The draft bill from the Federal Ministry of Health for a Hospital Care Improvement Act, which became known at the beginning of the week, describes the path towards a hospital landscape in which care can be ensured across the board in the future through transformation, concentration and coordination. "I expressly welcome the draft. Concentration of services and specialization across service groups with simultaneous regional coordination are the means to support structural change and ensure high-quality care in the area," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. "In Freiburg and the surrounding area, we have already gone part of the way and are continuing to do so consistently. To this end, we work well and closely with most of the surrounding hospitals."

In addition to the existing teaching hospitals and collaborations in the region, the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is currently preparing a collaboration with the Emmendingen District Hospital in the field of surgery. Another current example is the presentation of cardiology patients from the Ortenau Klinikum as part of a web colloquium. Physicians from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and the Ortenau Klinikum jointly make diagnoses and discuss the best treatment for the patients presented. Patients with tumor diseases in hospitals in the region also benefit from similar collaborations: In so-called tumor boards, experts from the Tumor Center of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg make treatment recommendations, which are then implemented in the local hospitals.

The opening of the new Center for Pediatrics in Freiburg this year will enable structural improvements in the medical care of children and newborns, meaning that key points of the reform are already being implemented. For example, the care of high-risk births and the highly complex care of premature and premature babies will be bundled in one place. "Bringing neonatology together at a suitable location with specially trained staff strengthens medical care in the region," says Wenz. Emergency care in the district hospitals of the two other maternity clinics in Freiburg will continue to be provided by the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

"This shows that we are already networking and cooperating for the benefit of our patients," says Wenz.