Clinic reform in NRW: Sauerland is shaping the future of the healthcare system!

Clinic reform in NRW: Sauerland is shaping the future of the healthcare system!

On August 22, 2025, Prof. Dr. Dirk Sauerland, health economist and dean of the Faculty of Economics and Society at the University of Witten/Herdecke, has been reappointed to the supervisory board of Evangelisches Klinikum Niederrhein gGmbH. This voluntary position in Duisburg is of particular importance as it comes amid the challenges of the planned hospital reform in North Rhine-Westphalia, which represents a comprehensive structural reform in the healthcare system, such as MAGS NRW reported.

Prof. Sauerland brings his expertise to issues of management and health policy. He teaches at the Chair of Institutional Economics, combining theory and practice. What is particularly noteworthy is that a new Bachelor's degree program "Management in Healthcare" will start in the summer semester of 2026. This builds bridges between management skills and knowledge of the healthcare system. The aim of the course is clear: it is intended to prepare students for leadership positions in various healthcare areas.

Focus of the new course of study

The new bachelor's degree program places particular emphasis on economic and legal know-how. Another focus is on future skills that are essential for the healthcare system. This includes digital transformation, sustainable management and interdisciplinary collaboration. Prof. Sauerland emphasizes that it is crucial to establish responsible leadership for inpatient and outpatient care. This is reflected in the content of the course, which not only imparts knowledge but also promotes an attitude towards responsible management in the healthcare sector.

The current hospital reform aims to introduce a nationwide service group system. This replaces a system that was considered less transparent. Around 60 to 70 performance groups are defined, each with clear quality requirements regarding personnel, equipment and processes. This leads to a specialization of the clinics and a concentration of complex services in fewer locations, such as Clinic Management Academy analyzed.

Strategic changes in healthcare

The reform also stipulates that hospitals will know by the end of 2025 what services they can offer in the future. The Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Karl-Josef Laumann, has emphasized that an appropriate period of time is necessary for the implementation of the changes in order to ensure a high quality and safety of care. Certain performance groups should be given a transition period in order to meet the structural requirements.

The introduction of reserve financing represents a paradigm shift in hospital financing. It takes structural costs into account regardless of the number of patients and is intended to lead to better planning of financial resources for hospitals. This could play a critical role for both smaller facilities focused on primary care and larger clinics that need to strategically redefine their range of services.

Overall, the appointment of Prof. Dr. Dirk Sauerland highlights the important connection between academic teaching and practical application in the healthcare system, while the upcoming reforms signal a profound transformation of the hospital landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia.