The final decision has not yet been made. However, Ameos board member Freddy Eppacher assumes that the takeover will be completed by August 1. Markus Jox, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Stuttgart, confirmed to the Schwäbische Zeitung that the process is fast and goal-oriented.
"The antitrust situation is fine," Eppacher added, meaning a major hurdle has been cleared. This also allows Ameos to officially introduce itself at the hospital in Friedrichshafen and become active there. Individual experts from various departments of Ameos management have been on site for a few days to gain insight into everything.
Ameos Takeover Could Be Completed by August 1
A staff meeting was also important to explain Ameos and the upcoming takeover to employees. After all, they had gone through "turbulent times" with the insolvency proceedings, as Eppacher put it in a press briefing. The employees had so many questions that the event lasted significantly longer than planned.
However, Eppacher and the current managing director Jan-Ove Faust agreed that the mood among the clinic staff was open toward Ameos. "It was a very constructive staff meeting," said Eppacher. According to Faust, the employees are mainly relieved that the uncertainty is over.
Eppacher and Faust cited the fact that hardly any employees have resigned as a sign of good morale. The Ameos board member was pleased about this, as Ameos needs all employees to succeed. According to his statements, no job cuts are planned. On the contrary, they have offered positions to employees from Tettnang. Some have switched.
Positive Mood: Few Resignations, Team Stays On Board
According to Faust, everything remains the same at the chief physician level. There is only one change, but it has nothing to do with Ameos. The mood was also good during a discussion round with chief physicians, nursing management, and other leaders, reported Eppacher, adding happily: "We are encountering a benevolent environment." Everyone agreed that Ameos does not want to look back at what might have gone wrong. Only the view forward matters.
According to Eppacher, the new Ameos Klinik Friedrichshafen will offer all services that the Medizin Campus Bodensee had previously distributed between Friedrichshafen and Tettnang. Whether the ministry will approve all these services for the coming year will be decided later. However, Eppacher assumes there is no reason for rejection.
Eppacher emphasized that Ameos wants to maintain good relations with Oberschwabenklinik (OSK), which lost the bidding process. In some respects they are competitors, but in other areas cooperation makes sense. The fact that OSK operates large practices with medical care centers in Friedrichshafen and Tettnang, whose doctors will likely send patients to Ravensburg rather than Friedrichshafen, does not worry him.
Ameos Plans Comprehensive Services and Cooperation
Nor does the fact that OSK wants to build an outpatient surgery center in Tettnang. Eppacher reaffirmed that Ameos will apply for health insurance licenses to also offer outpatient medical services in Tettnang. Whether that works depends on negotiations with the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and private practitioners. According to Eppacher, Ameos already operates about a hundred so-called polyclinics, as the group calls its MVZs (medical care centers).
Eppacher sees no problem in the coexistence of Ameos and OSK. The region needs two strong clinics. The Ameos manager did not address the fact that competition between the two hospitals has demonstrably brought both into financial difficulties. Both companies can only be successful if patient care, job security for employees, and economic success are equally ensured. Ameos aims for that.
Patients should initially notice nothing from the new owner. And for employees, there will be a smooth transfer of operations. The works council will continue its work. All works agreements will remain in effect, and employment contracts will continue under the applicable collective agreements. That is legally regulated.
Ameos Plans Smooth Transition Despite Competition
For the first few months, Ameos has a detailed plan for integrating the Friedrichshafen clinic into the group. This will happen gradually. Ameos is drawing on experience; after all, the company has taken over several hospitals from insolvency proceedings in recent months and years.
In the long term, some things should improve. This includes the planned new building. The ministry knows about it, but there are no official talks or even a funding application yet. When asked by the Schwäbische Zeitung, the ministry gave no answer as to when such an application must be submitted so that the decision can be made by the end of 2031.
This date is important for the Lake Constance district. Because the contracts contain a clause that the district must step in as a funding provider or take over the hospital completely if no state funding is promised by then. The ministry remains very vague initially: "As with other funding projects, project planning in close coordination with the responsible state authorities will prove effective for the hospital operator. The ministry is always available as a contact person."
