Häufig gestellte Fragen
What does an ERP deliver in addition to the hospital information system (KIS)?
While the KIS manages patients, treatments, diagnoses and clinical documentation, the ERP covers the commercial and logistical side: procurement, materials management, fixed assets, finance, controlling and human resources. The two worlds are connected via interfaces, for example for case-based cost accounting or for supplying wards and operating theatre areas with medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In many hospitals, the ERP is thus the steering instrument for economic efficiency, while the KIS maps the care processes. The exact division of tasks varies depending on ownership structure, size category and the depth of customising of the specific setup.
Are ERP investments still eligible for funding under the KHZG?
The Hospital Future Act (KHZG) provided up to around 4.3 billion euros from the federal government and the states via the Hospital Future Fund across eleven funding categories, under which ERP-related components - such as digital medication management, procurement or patient portal integration - could in principle be eligible for funding. However, the application window has closed: following the deadline extension, measures generally had to be commissioned by the end of 2025, and the final statements of use must be submitted via the states to the Federal Office for Social Security (Bundesamt für Soziale Sicherung) by 31 August 2026 at the latest. Hospitals that cannot demonstrate the required digital services risk a budget-effective digitalisation deduction of up to two percent on DRG revenues from 2026. For new projects, the Hospital Transformation Fund under the KHVVG is therefore moving into the foreground.
How does the Hospital Transformation Fund under the KHVVG support ERP projects?
The Hospital Transformation Fund (KHTF) is the main successor to the KHZG and provides a volume of up to 50 billion euros for the period 2026 to 2035, which was originally to be funded in equal halves from federal and state resources and has been readjusted in its allocation and federal financing by the Hospital Reform Adjustment Act (KHAG) since April 2026. Unlike the strongly digitalisation-oriented KHZG, it primarily targets the structural reorganisation of the hospital landscape, such as site concentration, centre formation and the conversion of facilities. Digitalisation - and with it ERP and procurement solutions - is eligible for funding as an integral component of larger transformation projects, not as an isolated IT measure. The specific funding categories and application procedures are handled via the federal states and are continuously adjusted by accompanying legislation.
What role does UDI play in implant management in a hospital ERP?
Unique Device Identification (UDI) under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) is mandatory for medical devices and implants in particular and must enable seamless traceability from the manufacturer to the patient. The ERP should therefore carry UDI forward in master data, goods receipt, warehouse movements and theatre consumption in order to support recall management and patient safety. At European level, the first modules of the EUDAMED database become mandatory from 28 May 2026; in Germany, the reporting obligation to the German Implant Registry (Implantateregister Deutschland) is added, which has been in regular operation since the beginning of 2025. Critical here are the ERP's interfaces to theatre documentation, sterile goods and procurement systems as well as to these registries.
Which IT security and data protection requirements must a hospital ERP meet?
Since 1 January 2022, all hospitals have been obliged under Section 75c SGB V to establish their IT security in line with the state of the art and to update it at least every two years, with the industry-specific security standard (B3S) of the German Hospital Federation (Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft) serving as the basis. Hospitals above the KRITIS threshold of 30,000 full inpatient cases per year are additionally subject to the obligations of the BSI Act, including registration with the BSI, incident reporting and proof of appropriate security measures every two years. The ERP must map these requirements via a robust authorisation and audit concept while also complying with the requirements of the GDPR as well as the state hospital and patient data protection acts. These aspects gain additional weight in cloud strategies and should be factored into the selection early on.
What does the InEK costing mean for controlling in the ERP?
The InEK costing is the procedure prescribed by the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (Institut für das Entgeltsystem im Krankenhaus), by which calculation hospitals determine case costs per DRG on a full-cost basis according to a uniform costing handbook. In the ERP, this requires InEK-compliant cost element and cost centre accounting that allocates material, personnel and other operating costs to the individual treatment case according to their causation. From this, contribution margins per DRG and specialist department can be derived, which is central to management in view of the strained economic situation of many hospitals and the ongoing hospital reform. A clean data basis from materials management and procurement is a prerequisite, which is why the ERP and medical controlling must work closely together.