Medicine that Listens and Thinks Ahead
Interview with Florian König, Managing Director of the ENT Clinic Bogenhausen Dr. Gaertner GmbH
The healthcare sector in Germany is undergoing profound changes: cost pressures, shortage of skilled workers, digitalization, and hospital reform pose enormous challenges for clinics. Especially in this environment, smaller, specialized facilities demonstrate how patient-centric care can succeed even under difficult conditions. An example of this is the ENT Clinic Bogenhausen Dr. Gaertner GmbH in Munich.
European Business: Mr. König, the HNO-Klinik Bogenhausen has a special history. What defines it today?
Florian König: Our clinic was founded in 1953 and remains family-owned to this day. This owner-managed model has become rare – and it is a real advantage. We have short decision-making paths, can react quickly, and actively shape changes. Our location consists of three heritage-protected Gründerzeit villas in a prominent location in Munich-Bogenhausen. This is an extraordinary environment for a clinic: small, personal, and with high quality of stay. We have 20 inpatient beds, 40 spots in our ENT-psychosomatic day clinic, a sleep lab with five spots, and an affiliated outpatient medical center. With 25 attending doctors and a total of about 125 employees, we treat over 2,800 patients annually. This size allows us to respond very individually to each person – that's exactly what makes our character.
Wirtschaftsforum: Your house is described as the ‘Clinic of the People’. What do you understand by that?
Florian König: It's quite simple: we provide care to all patients – both publicly insured and privately insured alike. Many people in the surrounding area believe, due to the location or architecture, that we are purely a private hospital. The opposite is the case. Our claim is to make high-quality medicine accessible to everyone. Additionally, our holistic understanding of care comes into play: we view people not only from a medical perspective but also psychologically and socially. This biopsychosocial model particularly characterizes our day clinic, where we treat patients with tinnitus, hearing disorders, or vertigo in an interdisciplinary manner – from ENT diagnostics to psychotherapy and sensory and movement therapies.
Wirtschaftsforum: The health care market is under great pressure. What challenges do you face in everyday life?
Florian König: The list is long: staff shortages, rising costs, excessive bureaucracy, complex digitalization and sustainability guidelines, as well as uncertainties surrounding hospital reforms. Many clinics operate at their limits – and that also applies to smaller establishments like ours. Especially in the administrative sector, the requirements have increased tremendously. We have to provide more evidence, document, and report more than ever. At the same time, the prices of energy and foodstuffs are rising, while refinancing is only partially catching up. For protected historical buildings, there are additional regulations, for example regarding energy efficiency. This is a major challenge.
Wirtschaftsforum: What helps you to mitigate this pressure?
Florian König: First, our size. As a small, flexible institution, we can make decisions faster than large hospital groups. Second, digitalization. When properly implemented, it simplifies many processes and relieves the staff. We are working on comprehensive digital patient records, digital surgical documentation, automated administrative processes, and AI-supported applications, such as in billing or scheduling. This creates time for what should be the focus: the patient. Third, a broad range of services. In addition to ENT surgery and our day clinic, we are expanding our oral and maxillofacial surgery because we see growing demand there. At the same time, we relieve large maximum care providers by taking over uncomplicated procedures so that university hospitals can concentrate more on complex cases.
Wirtschaftsforum: What particularly distinguishes your facility from larger hospitals?
Florian König: Our setting: The three villas do not feel like a classic hospital – and that is exactly how our patients experience it. It is quiet, manageable, and personal. Additionally, our own kitchen cooks fresh food. This also contributes to recovery. Moreover, our affiliated doctors work closely with our own specialists. For patients, this means continuity – from the first office visit to follow-up care. This continuous care is a real increase in quality.
Wissenschaftsforum: How do you look to the future – despite all uncertainties?
Florian König: With realism, but also confidence. Healthcare will need to continue to change. We are working on a long-term strategic setup that combines various pillars: operative ENT medicine, conservative treatment, ENT-psychosomatic care, and specialized areas such as maxillofacial surgery. With this, we aim to remain viable for the future and continue to do what our clinic has been known for 70 years: helping people, improving quality of life, and creating an environment that combines medical excellence and personal care.
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