Federal clinic atlas goes offline, consumer advocates criticize

The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) warns of the consequences of the planned abolition of the Federal Clinic Atlas by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken. “The project group 'Bundes-Klinik-Atlas' [...] will be dissolved with retroactive effect from 30 June,” it says in an “organizational decree,” which is available to the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. However, this does not necessarily mean that the content work will be discontinued. In the case mentioned, the support of the “Bundes-Klinik-Atlas” has been continued by a specialist department since July 1, as reported by dpa. Possible options are currently being examined.

Warken had already hinted at the end of the Federal Clinic Atlas in July. “The abolition of the Federal Clinic Atlas would be fatal from the patient's standpoint. The German healthcare system needs more transparency, not less,” explained Thomas Moormann, head of the Health and Care team at vzbv.

Warning against relapse

The atlas is an important step towards more guidance for patients when choosing a hospital, but it needs to be developed further. This is the only way people can choose the hospital “where they will receive the procedure with the best quality.” According to the vzbv, the hospital directory of the German Hospital Association (DKG) does not offer a suitable alternative, as it is neither user-friendly nor independent.

Without the atlas, there is a risk of a relapse into a confusing multitude of portals that do not offer patients any reliable orientation. “An independent, transparent, and user-friendly federal hospital atlas would have the chance to steer care in the right direction,” says Moormann. According to him, a successful hospital reform would depend on this. According to dpa, the VdK social association warned against information on treatments being provided solely by hospital operators or hospital associations in the future. An independent source is essential. The German Patient Protection Foundation called on Warken to put an immediate end to “the long death” of the Federal Atlas. For patients, two internet directories are only confusing.

The Federal Clinic Atlas was published by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) on May 17, 2024. It offers citizens an interactive search engine for finding a clinic with data on treatment options, case numbers, certificates, staffing levels, and selected quality indicators. The aim is to enable an informed decision on the selection of a suitable hospital without any special prior knowledge.

Shortly before the launch, the Bertelsmann Foundation's “White List” was also discontinued, with some of the project's experience benefiting the Federal Hospital Atlas. Two updates have already been introduced in the course of 2024, with additions to the reasons for treatment and improvements to user-friendliness.

Shortly after publication, there was repeated criticism, for example from the German Hospital Association (DKG), which doubted the benefits of the atlas for patients and pointed out comprehensibility problems and data errors. As a result, extensive updates were implemented to improve clarity.

(mack)