Cross-institutional cooperation between MHH and KRH
Working together toward becoming one of the largest and most advanced centres for pulmonary and thoracic medicine in Germany (from left, archive photo taken after the signing of the Letter of Intent in the fall of 2025): Barbara Schulte (KRH managing director of Finance and Infrastructure), Dr. Matthias Bracht (KRH managing director of Medicine), Prof. Dr. Hans-Gerd Fieguth (Chief Physician of the Clinical Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at KRH Siloah Hospital), Prof. Dr. Thomas Fühner (Chief Physician of the Clinical Department of Pulmonology, Intensive Care, and Sleep Medicine at KRH Siloah Hospital, Prof. Dr. Marius M. Hoeper (Director of the Clinical Department of Pneumology and Infectious Diseases at MHH), Prof. Arjang Ruhpawar (Head of the Clinical Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplant, and Vascular Surgery at MHH), Prof.‘Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner (MHH President and Executive Board Member for Research and teaching), Prof. Dr. Frank Lammert (MHH Vice President and Executive Board Member for Patient Care), and Martina Saurin (MHH Vice President and Executive Board Member for Management and Administration). Copyright: KRH Klinikum Region Hannover / André Walther
The Hannover Regional Hospital (KRH) and Hannover Medical School (MHH) have signed a cooperation agreement to establish the “Lower Saxony Lung and Thoracic Center Hannover-MHH-KRH” (LTC). This marks a significant milestone on the path to becoming one of the largest and most advanced centres for pulmonary and thoracic medicine in Germany.
“By signing the founding agreement, we are taking our already close collaboration to a new, binding level,” says Dr. Matthias Bracht, managing director of Medicine at KRH. “We are thereby laying the foundation for an even closer integration of our expertise and, at the same time, sending a strong signal for the further development of healthcare in the region.”
Prof. Dr. Frank Lammert, Vice President and Board Member for Patient Care at MHH, also emphasizes the significance of this step: “The Lung and Thoracic Center represents a new level of collaboration that transcends institutional boundaries. In the future, patients will benefit even more from pooled expertise, coordinated treatment processes, and innovative therapeutic approaches.”
The goal of the new centre is to sustainably improve care for patients with lung and respiratory diseases in the Hanover region and beyond. By sharing resources, the centre aims to reduce wait times and further optimize diagnostics and treatment. At the same time, collaboration in research and teaching will be intensified, and the foundation for clinical trials will be expanded. The centre combines the existing strengths of KRH and MHH: While KRH Siloah Hospital offers comprehensive care with a focus on pulmonary oncology, interventional bronchology, and respiratory medicine, MHH possesses internationally recognized expertise, particularly in rare lung diseases and lung transplantation. Both facilities or institutions are also well-positioned in the field of thoracic surgery.
The LTC creates a unified framework for coordinated outpatient and inpatient care, as well as for education, continuing education, and clinical research. Uniform treatment standards, cross-site patient management, and shared quality structures are designed to ensure high-quality care in accordance with clinical guidelines. Organizationally, the centre maintains a partnership-based structure without a merger of the participating facilities or institutions. The clinical departments will remain at their respective locations under their current governing bodies but will be strategically managed by a joint leadership team and a steering committee with equal representation from both institutions.
The Lower Saxony Lung and Thoracic Center will officially begin operations on July 1, 2026. The goal is to establish a world-class center for pulmonary and thoracic medicine in Hanover with international visibility, thereby creating a model for cross-sector and cross-institutional collaboration within the German healthcare system.
Text: KRH