German Medical Association: Stability despite financial challenges!

German Medical Association: Stability despite financial challenges!

On May 29, 2025, the 129th German Medical Association approved the annual financial statements of the German Medical Association (BÄK) for the years 2023/2024 and the budget estimate for 2025/2026. Despite a difficult economic environment, BÄK's financial situation remains stable, reports Medical Journal. The management board was discharged for the past financial year, and the balance sheet total as of June 30, 2024 is 48.15 million euros, which represents a decrease of 1.56 million euros compared to the previous year.

BÄK's equity ratio fell slightly from 77 to 76.4 percent. This is mainly due to a decrease in non-current assets of EUR 1.89 million, which is due to scheduled depreciation. Withdrawals from reserves were lower than expected at 1.83 million euros; in the previous year these were 2.1 million euros. In addition, property, plant and equipment fell to 19.4 million euros, a decrease of 760,000 euros.

Key financial data and projects

The financial situation of BÄK was assessed as solid by auditors. For the 2023/2024 financial year, total expenses amount to 28.86 million euros, while total income is 30.69 million euros. The increase in contributions from the state medical associations by 1.77 million euros to 21.34 million euros (an increase of 9%) and the unused funds led to an increase in liquid assets by 426,000 euros to 9.06 million euros. The BÄK finances numerous professional policy projects, including the continuation of the National Care Guidelines (NVL) program.

From July 1, 2025, the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance (Zi) will take over the NVL program, with the BÄK and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) contributing 300,000 euros annually. The NVL program is an initiative aimed at promoting quality in medicine and creating and further developing guidelines on common diseases. However, the scope of medical guidelines is often limited because they describe specific disease situations and rarely cover the organizational framework of patient care. To this end, additional “care guidelines” should be developed in order to improve interfaces between different sectors and disciplines, such as: AWMF highlights.

Economic challenges and outlook

A negative business development scenario can be seen in the Critical Incident Reporting System (CIRS), which is experiencing difficulties due to cost pressure. Nevertheless, 41 contracts with 107 instances still exist. Improvement measures have been identified and the medical personnel assessment system (ÄPS-BÄK) is being further developed as part of the Hospital Care Improvement Act (KHVVG).

A draft amounting to 31.34 million euros was presented for the 2025/2026 budget, which corresponds to a decrease of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year. The levy from the state medical associations is expected to increase by 3.87 percent. The contributions from the medical associations continue to make up the largest share of total income (75.24%). Maintenance and investment measures amounting to 1.62 million euros were taken into account. In addition, unused funds from the previous year can be fully transferred to new invoices.