In accordance with the Federal Association for Rehabilitation (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Rehabilitation e. V. – BAR) guidelines, Fresenius Vamed implements all relevant measures to increase patient safety at its post-acute care facilities – including patient surveys, complaint management, and regular internal audits of all segments. The company receives feedback on the quality of the structure, process, and outcomes from the insurers, e. g., as part of the quality assurance of the German pension insurance or the statutory health insurance providers. In all Fresenius Vamed healthcare facilities, patients receive relevant information material and patient training to ensure long-term treatment success. Reporting systems for complaints are also available in some healthcare facilities. In Fresenius Vamed’s project business, the lead companies establish guidelines for all subsidiaries, which are reviewed in annual audits.

Goals and ambitions

Fresenius Vamed defines its quality goals annually with the aid of additional key performance indicators (KPIs). The findings from complaint, case, and risk management are also incorporated. Target achievement, with special focus on the Patient Satisfaction KPI, is reviewed on a quarterly basis and is part of the short-term variable remuneration of the Group Management Board (short-term incentive – STI). A high satisfaction and recommendation rate is crucial to ensuring that patients return and new patients are acquired. Measuring patient satisfaction is also relevant for contracts with insurance providers.

Organization and responsibilities

Within the Management Board of Fresenius Vamed, the Management Board division responsible for the service business is responsible for patient and product safety.

In order to raise awareness of quality requirements among employees, Fresenius Vamed employs staff for quality and risk management. These employees report directly to management. Quality assurance officers carry out training courses, thus integrating all employees into the quality management systems of their facilities. The quality assurance officers can thus ensure that employees comply with their obligation to exercise due care. Fresenius Vamed informs its employees about its understanding of quality early in the initial training and introductory events. Guidelines are communicated in writing to the relevant divisions and departments and documented for them (e. g., via work instructions from the respective management).

The Vamed International Medical Board (IMB) ensures the exchange of information between Fresenius Vamed physicians from various countries. Within Fresenius Vamed, medical specialist groups and executive conferences coordinate on quality and safety.

Guidelines and regulations

Fresenius Vamed sets ethical standards through its mission statement as well as through its Code of Conduct, the Clinical Code of Conduct, and the Code of Conduct for Business Partners.

Fresenius Vamed’s internal guidelines are based on regulatory requirements established throughout Europe, e. g., for rehabilitation. In care, Fresenius Vamed follows the renowned methodological concept of salutogenesis. In addition to the statutory requirements and the requirements of the insurers, Fresenius Vamed also adheres to international standards such as ISO and EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management), expert standards, and medical guidelines. All internal guidelines are regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. Employees can obtain information on the guidelines via the intranet.

In addition, Fresenius Vamed has certified several healthcare facilities according to international standards such as JCI (Joint Commission International), ISO, or the German QMS-REHA (Qualitätsmanagementsystem der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Bund für Reha-Kliniken). The certifications form the basis for the continuous improvement of the processes at Fresenius Vamed.

In total, 100% of the entities of Fresenius Vamed are covered by an external quality standard, based on the various aforementioned applicable certifications and regulatory provisions.

To ensure adherence to quality standards, Fresenius Vamed performs regular internal audits as well as external recertifications. Quality management audits in accordance with ISO regulations are carried out once a year in the certified healthcare facilities as well as in other Fresenius Vamed facilities. Internal audits are carried out systematically and cover all business segments, and at a minimum, those topics that are required by the certified standards – e. g., all quality management processes. Besides ISO certifications, audits are also conducted by the external regulatory bodies, listed in the Patient and product safety section, under Guidelines and regulations.

In addition, the findings on treatment quality are published, for example by Fresenius Vamed Germany on the website Qualitaetskliniken.de. This allows patients to find out about key quality parameters of the various clinics before they are admitted.

Hygiene management

Fresenius Vamed’s hygiene standards in Germany are based on the recommendations of the Robert Koch Instute’s Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO). These recommendations take into account all legal requirements for hygiene.

In the German facilities, the central Head of Hygiene coordinates the hygiene specialists and establishes overarching standards, together with the Chief Medical Officers (CMO). One of the most important hygiene measures is hand disinfection. Fresenius Vamed follows the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) in this regard. Hygiene specialists, doctors, and nurses with special hygiene responsibilities implement hospital hygiene measures.

In Austria, the Federal Hospitals Act forms the basis for the management of hygiene plans, hygiene inspections, the use of hygiene specialists, and doctors with special hygiene responsibilities.

Measurement of patient satisfaction and grievance processes

Fresenius Vamed measures patient satisfactionPatient satisfactionFresenius ​Vamed ​measures ​the ​level ​of ​patient ​satisfaction ​in ​the ​VAMED ​healthcare ​facilities ​and ​the ​overall ​patient ​satisfaction ​with ​the ​services ​offered ​in ​the ​VAMED ​healthcare ​facilities. ​Each ​patient ​receives ​a ​questionnaire ​at ​or ​immediately ​after ​discharge, ​which ​contains ​16 ​standardized ​questions ​that ​are ​evaluated ​for ​the ​patient ​satisfaction ​target. in its healthcare facilities in a continuous and structured process. It is measured on a scale from 1 (very satisfied) to 5 (not satisfied). The evaluation is locally conducted on a weekly and a monthly basis, and consolidated on a quarterly basis. The company collects data, evaluates it internally, and implements appropriate measures, if necessary. Patient surveys are conducted either while the patient is in the clinic or after their rehabilitation. In this way, the facilities receive comprehensive feedback with regard to patient satisfaction.

In 2023, patient satisfaction was 1.56¹, which is well below the target of 1.65, which is an excellent result. The patients surveyed showed a high level of satisfaction. The overall ambition is to integrate the feedback process into the treatment plan as this provides patients with the opportunity to address feedback directly or raise questions, and thus improve the experience of patients in our healthcare facilities.