Hospital Future Act

The most important things in brief

• The Hospital Future Act (KHZG) is a nationwide investment program for the digitization of clinics and defines clear guidelines and funding criteria for technical and procedural modernization.
• Clinics must increasing requirements for IT security, interoperability and digital processes in order to remain efficient, legally compliant and competitive.
• Successful KHZG projects are based on complete transparency about existing IT structures, clear processes and sustainable operation of the introduced systems.

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What is the Hospital Future Act?

that Hospital Future Act ( in german: KHZG or Krankenhauszukunftsgesetz) is a federal investment program adopted in 2020 to specifically promote the digitization and IT modernization of German hospitals. With funding of over four billion euros, the federal government is helping clinics significantly improve patient care, IT security and digital processes.

Hospital Future Act: Background and Objectives

The KHZG aims to technologically modernize German hospitals and adapt them to international standards. Especially after experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear how important digital infrastructures, networked systems and secure data flows are.

KHZG: Why it's so important

Imagine the following scenario from everyday hospital life: In a medium-sized hospital, the central patient information system fails during the night. The cause: A hitherto unknown, incorrectly documented server that is part of an old subnet and was overlooked during the last renovation. OP teams can't retrieve important findings, the emergency room has to handle processes manually, delays occur — and that's in an environment where every minute counts. IT is only after several hours that IT can localize and fix the bottleneck.

Situations like this are not uncommon. Many clinics work with historically developed IT environments that are complex, heterogeneous and often poorly documented. This is exactly where the Hospital Future Act (KHZG) comes in: It is intended to make hospitals in Germany fit for a modern, secure and digital future.

Hospital Future Act: The funding facts

Funding criteria are specifically defined areas in which hospitals can receive financial support under the KHZG. They determine which digital measures may be funded and which requirements must be met. In doing so, they create a clear structure for modernizing the IT and process landscape. Here is a compact overview of all funding activities — supplemented by a brief classification of why each of these points plays a central role in KHZG projects:

Here is a compact overview of all funding activities:

1. Expanding emergency capacities
   Promotion of technical and structural measures to improve inpatient emergency care, including IT-based processes.
2. Digital patient portals
   Introduction or expansion of portals for patient communication, digital recording, appointment scheduling, provision of information and aftercare.
3. Digital medication management
   Electronic regulation, interaction testing and structured documentation of drugs to increase patient safety.
4. Clinical decision support systems
   Systems that support medical personnel in diagnosis and treatment decisions through evidence-based recommendations.
5. Digital care and treatment documentation
   Standardised, structured and digital documentation of the entire care and treatment process for better traceability and efficiency.
6. Inter-service provider communication
   Promoting digital networking with other players in the healthcare sector (e.g. family doctors, rehab and care facilities) to improve collaboration.
7. Connection to electronic health records (ePA)
   Integration of existing systems into the telematics infrastructure to make patient-related information available across sectors.
8. IT security
   Implementation of organizational and technical measures to ensure IT security in hospitals in accordance with § 75c SGB V.
9. interoperability
   Use of open, standardized interfaces to ensure cross-system data exchange and avoid isolated solutions.
10. Patient-related reporting
    Development of systems for evaluating and analyzing patient data for quality improvement and economic management.
11. Telemedicine networks
    Establishment or expansion of telemedicine infrastructure, e.g. for teleconsulating, remote monitoring or video consultations — particularly in rural regions.

Even though the original application phase — it officially ended on December 31, 2021 — has been completed, the KHZG continues to have an effect. This means that since January 1, 2022, no more new funding applications can be submitted, but ongoing projects will continue to be implemented and monitored. In addition, from 2025 many of the requirements enshrined in the KHZG are permanent, in particular relating to IT security, interoperability and digital documentation. Clinics remain required, particularly when it comes to IT security, interoperability and digital documentation.

Why the Hospital Future Act is necessary

1. Safety as a legal obligation

Hospitals apply in accordance with BSI Act as a critical infrastructure operator (KRITIS). This requires them to demonstrate their IT security at a high level.

The KHZG further specifies this obligation: Funded measures must meet certain minimum standards — such as standardized interfaces, defined IT security measures and complete documentation of the systems.

2. Digitalization as a competitive factor

Patients expect up-to-date service — digital intake forms, scheduled processes, seamless communication. Clinics that fall behind are losing their appeal.

3. IT complexity continues to rise

The introduction of new digital systems often runs parallel to the continued operation of old structures. Without full transparency across the entire IT infrastructure, risks, duplicate structures and inefficient processes arise.

This is exactly where documentation becomes a strategic necessity.

How hospitals can successfully implement KHZG requirements

1. Holistic inventory

Before clinics implement new KHZG measures, they need a complete view of their current infrastructure. This includes:

• Servers and services
• network structures
• Data flows between applications
• Access rights and role models

Manual inventory is almost impossible in large clinics. Automated solutions provide a remedy.

2. Ensuring interoperability

KHZG-funded systems must support defined standards (e.g. HL7‑FHIR). This requires that existing systems and interfaces are correctly documented and analyzed.

3. Take IT security to the next level

The legislator requires, among other things:

• regular risk analyses
• active vulnerability assessment
• Protection against unauthorised access

In order for security gaps to be identified quickly, managers need a clear overview of authorizations and roles.

4. Rethinking processes — not just changing systems

Digitalization not only means technology, but also changes in everyday working life. Successful hospitals combine technical modernization with clear processes and training for all employees.

What needs to be considered in particular when implementing the KHZG

Lack of documentation as the biggest obstacle

Many KHZG projects have shown that the introduction of modern systems often fails not because of technology, but because of a lack of transparency.

Typical problems include:

• unclear dependencies between systems
• outdated network plans
• undocumented special solutions
• lack of overview of permissions

If this basis is missing, projects are significantly delayed — or cause high follow-up costs.

Don't underestimate change management

Clinics are complex organizations. Every new digital solution must be understood and used equally by medicine, nursing, administration and IT.

Ensuring sustainability

KHZG projects must not remain one-off island measures. The systems must be operated, updated and monitored over the long term.

How Docusnap supports hospitals in the KHZG environment

Docusnap supports Clinics involved, their Implement KHZG projects on a reliable and up-to-date database. Many companies are faced with the challenge of analyzing established IT structures, understanding dependencies and meeting security requirements in a comprehensible manner. This is exactly where Docusnap provides decisive added value:

• Automatic inventory of the entire IT landscape — from servers to network devices to applications and permissions. This eliminates the need for error-prone manual recording and provides clinics with an up-to-date and complete picture of their infrastructure.
• Clear visualization complex system relationships — Dependencies between services, communication channels and network structures are clearly presented. This makes it much easier to plan KHZG measures such as patient portals or digital documentation.
• Visibility for IT security and compliance — by Authorization analyses, evaluations of role models and documentations, which are required for security checks or evidence of criticism. Clinics can thus prove more quickly that KHZG-relevant standards are being met.
• More efficient implementation and sustainable operation — regular scans keep documentation up to date and simplify continuous system maintenance. This saves time in everyday IT life and reduces risks when making changes or expansions.

Hospital Future Act 2025: What clinics must consider

Even after the funding phase has been completed, it is clear that the KHZG requirements have a lasting effect.

In 2025, the focus will be on the following points in particular:

• Evidence of sustainable use of funded systems
• Compliance with IT security requirements
• Development of digital patient services
• Modernization of existing infrastructure

A complete and up-to-date IT documentation is a key requirement for this.

Conclusion: KHZG as an opportunity — sustainable digitization with Docusnap

The Hospital Future Act is much more than a funding program. It is a guide to modern, secure and digital clinics. But true digitization only works if the underlying IT landscape is transparent, documented and secure. Docusnap provides clinics with exactly the tools they need to successfully implement their KHZG projects — efficiently, sustainably and legally compliant.