Hospital reform and chronic pain – is a gap in care looming?

The planned hospital reform is currently being discussed as a necessary step to secure medical care in Germany. However, one crucial area is in danger of being overlooked: the care of people with chronic pain.

In a recent interview with Prof. Dr. Hartmut Göbel in Die Zeit, it becomes clear that chronic pain does not fit into traditional healthcare systems. It requires time, interdisciplinary collaboration, and specialized structures – precisely those elements that are increasingly coming under economic and structural pressure as a result of the reform.

The current reform debate focuses heavily on service groups, case numbers, and efficiency. For patients with chronic pain, however, this means the risk that their complex treatment needs will not be adequately addressed. Multimodal pain therapy is not a standardized "case," but rather an individualized, often lengthy treatment process.

There is already an undersupply in many regions. Should the reform lead to a further concentration or reduction of specialized services, this situation could worsen.

The interview makes it clear: If chronic pain is not recognized as an independent disease with specific care structures, it risks falling through the cracks in the new system.

The hospital reform will therefore also be judged by whether it improves the care of this patient group – or unintentionally worsens it.

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A highly recommended article on the care of chronic pain patients in the context of hospital reform.
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