The Hospital Structure Fund is maintained by the Federal Office for Social Security (BAS). The BAS uses it to grant funds for improving structures in hospital care. The Hospital Structure Fund (structural fund) was originally established with EUR 500 million on January 1, 2016. This funding was initially intended to reduce excess capacity, concentrate inpatient care and facilities, and transform hospitals into centers for local, non-acute inpatient care.
The Hospital Future Fund is now being set up in the same way as the Hospital Structure Fund. The aim is to support measures under the Hospital Future Act (KHZG) that serve to promote the digitalization of hospitals, among other things.
In order to ensure maximum effectiveness, the new Hospital Future Fund is to be dovetailed with the existing Hospital Structure Fund. The latter is to be extended for four years and receive a total of EUR 2 billion by 2024.