“According to the survey results, the criterion of the proximity to the place of residence does not play a central role in hospital care-especially when it comes to particularly serious illnesses and risky operations,” comments Dr. Carola Reimann, CEO of the AOK federal association, the survey. “The great openness for longer driving times to specialized clinics also shows that people set the right priorities.”
It is important that Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken “Kurse”, according to the nationwide binding quality requirements for hospitals, says Reimann: “Her statement that she wants to improve the reform of her predecessor but do not want to water down in the right direction.” In the discussions of the federal and state governments about planned “optimizations” such as more cooperation options or longer transition periods for the specialization of the clinics, patient safety should not be left behind.
A total of 8,579 people aged 18 and over were interviewed for the population-representative Forsa survey from April 1 to 17, 2025. The survey was carried out as a combination of telephone survey and online survey.
