Comparison of Ordinary Medical Care Centers/Partnerships and Practice Clinic in Germany

Abstract

Objective: Politicians are not the only ones who view medical care centers (MCC) as a model for the future. Even physicians often believe that they are better off with such type of care. However, legal and tax expert Dr. Müller-Kern warns that this is not always true because profits do not increase for every partner and some even experience losses in revenue. This is because disciplines such as strategic planning, marketing, organization theory, quality management or project management run parallel to each other in classical business administration. This is how these disciplines are still taught in schools and universities today. Aim: Managing, controlling and (re-)designing businesses within the system of medical care has become an extremely challenging task. It is thus better to analyse beforehand whether it is really worthwhile. Results: In a comparison between the standard MCC/partnership and the practice clinic model, one can see that these are very different structures. Of interest are structures where both forms can be integrated within a single enterprise. Conclusion: Classic business management, which is based primarily on principles such as linearity, stability and deduction, is less and less capable of answering the burning questions of today's corporate governance. The structure of the German MCC is an excellent type for the medical field and has a very good prospect the next years.