Under the new regulation, the Medical Service will conduct more frequent audits of hospital billing, which previously occurred only in response to complaints from health insurers. Data from MD Nord indicated that approximately 46% of audited billing items in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein were found to be overcharged last year. The revised protocol stipulates that the frequency of audits will increase in correlation with the rate of inaccuracies detected, with the expectation of achieving nationwide savings of €1.6 billion. This announcement was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on May 2, 2026.