Bodensee Heart Center in Konstanz: Insolvency but operations continue!

Bodensee Heart Center in Konstanz: Insolvency but operations continue!

The news hit like a bomb: The Bodensee Heart Center (HZB) in Konstanz has filed for bankruptcy. After more than 30 years of successful operation, the clinic is now insolvent, which worries many patients and employees alike. How Mercury reported, the bankruptcy filing came after discussions with the Konstanz District Health Association (GLKN), which focused on finding a viable solution for cardiac care in the region. Unfortunately, the desired success did not materialize.

Regardless of the insolvency, operations at the HZB continue without restrictions. Planned operations and patient care continue to be ensured. The clinic, which has up to 54 beds, two operating rooms and a cardiac catheter laboratory, cares for around 2,900 inpatients and 3,000 outpatients annually. Urgent information also comes from daily news, who emphasize that the salaries of around 150 employees are secured through insolvency money until the end of September 2025.

Background and challenges

The reasons for bankruptcy are complex. Above all, falling case numbers and rising costs are putting many clinics in a precarious position. The clinic has lost a massive amount of patients in recent years, which is not unusual in the current healthcare landscape. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced that several hundred hospitals in Germany will close in the coming years. The 88 increase in bankruptcies between 2020 and 2024 shows that hospital deaths are no longer just a bad omen; it has already started, and there is no semblance of improvement, how German business news clarify.

The situation in the healthcare system is tense; 80 percent of the clinics were already loss-making by 2024 and up to 100 other facilities could be at risk of bankruptcy. Relevant examples come from Saxony, where 57 of 76 hospitals are struggling with financial problems. These trends are not new, but they have profound health policy and social consequences and create unequal medical care across regions.

A way out of the crisis?

Despite the current difficulties, the GLKN, which would like to integrate the heart center into its hospital network, is optimistic about the future. The Konstanz district council has already approved the integration, but the final takeover depends on discussions with the insolvency administrator. The provisional insolvency administrator is striving to find a sustainable solution so that the heart center can not only make ends meet, but also retain its important role in the region.

For employees and patients, bankruptcy means a time full of uncertainty, but it is not without hope. It remains to be hoped that the GLKN and everyone involved have a good hand and will soon find a viable solution to ensure long-term medical care in the Lake Constance area.