General
information

As a healthcare group, we take on corporate responsibility for our patients, for our employees and for the environment and society. In the Corporate Responsibility Report 2022, we describe our engagement in the areas of critical importance for us: sustainable corporate governance, patients, employees and the environment. We document concepts, key figures for Asklepios as well as the goals and actions with which we guide our activities.

Reporting takes place annually since the 2018 financial year. We published the last Corporate Responsibility Report (“CR Report”) in April 2022. For transparency and comparison reasons, this CR Report is aligned with the structure and Universal Standards of the 2021 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). With regard to determining material topics and disclosures on the management of material topic areas, the CR Report is aligned with GRI 3.

During the 2021 financial year, we conducted a materiality analysis (in line with the GRI Universal Standards 2021, GRI 3) and identified seven CR focus topics for Asklepios. They were defined in line with the requirements of the German CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR RUG) and of the 2021 GRI standards. In 2022, we validated the material topics. The GRI Universal 2021 Standard was taken into account in the validation of the material topics in the reporting year and in the preparation of the report content. A detailed description of this process can be found on page 11 of this CR report.

The Asklepios Corporate Responsibility Report is a separate non-financial consolidated report in accordance with the Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB – German Commercial Code). The 2022 CR Report satisfies the requirements of a separate non-financial consolidated report in accordance with section 315b(3) HGB. This is a voluntary implementation of these requirements. The EU Taxonomy Regulation was not applied on a voluntary basis in the 2022 financial year.

This separate non-financial consolidated report has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance (ISAE) 3000 (Revised) to determine with limited assurance whether the non-financial report of the company for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2022 has, in all material respects, been prepared in accordance with section 315c in conjunction with sections 289c to 289e HGB.

Information concerning fulfilment of the 2021 GRI indicators is not a component of the separate non-financial consolidated report and was therefore not covered by the audit.

PwC has summarised the results of this audit in a final audit report (see Audit report p. 42). The Management Board of Asklepios was informed of the results of the audit and has also reviewed and approved the report.

Unless otherwise indicated, this report refers to all healthcare facilities operated in Germany by Asklepios Kliniken GmbH & Co. KGaA, which acts as the management company of the Asklepios Group with its headquarters in Hamburg. This does not include MediClin AG or Rhön-Klinikum AG. The reporting period is the 2022 financial year. Where possible, comparative data from the previous year are included. Any different periods are clearly indicated.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As a leading private healthcare group in Germany, Asklepios has particular responsibility for environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. We feel a particular sense of commitment to our patients and employees and have therefore been working to ensure sustainable, responsible business management for years.

2022 was a challenging year for Asklepios: The after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic can still be felt throughout the healthcare sector. The escalating conflict in Ukraine and the global sanctions imposed on Russia impacted supply chains. This led to price increases and fluctuations that caused additional strain on the already overburdened healthcare system. Last but not least, inflation is putting pressure on all companies in the healthcare sector.

Despite these challenges, Asklepios Kliniken has a solid economic positioning as a healthcare group. We have established and continuously improved the necessary structures to integrate the topic of corporate responsibility in the Group. The results of our activities were summarised in a Group-wide ESG strategy and adopted by the Management Board in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Our ESG strategy comprises seven key topics: Asklepios is aiming to cut CO₂ emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by up to 45,000 tons by 2030 as compared to the base year 2022 and plans to operate on a climate-neutral basis by 2040. A reduction in both waste volumes and water consumption in relation to the number of patients is targeted by 2030. With regard to social issues, there will be a particular focus on employee health, patient safety and patient satisfaction. The governance aspect focuses on strengthening and complying with Asklepios’s rules of conduct. In the 2023 financial year, we will validate the measures as part of our corporate responsibility roadmap.

This CR Report provides an overview of our progress on environmental, social and governance issues. You can also find out more about our commitment to sustainable business practices and about how we incorporate ESG in our day-to-day business. We hope that this report will give you a better understanding of who we are as a company and what we stand for.

We want to provide our stakeholders with transparent information that bears comparison. With this in mind, we prepare our CR Report in accordance with section 315c in conjunction with section 289c to 289e HGB. In addition, this report was prepared with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Universal Standards.

The Management Board of Asklepios Kliniken
Hamburg, in April 2023

Since its foundation almost four decades ago, the family-owned company Asklepios has developed from a hospital operator to a future-oriented and digital company that embraces a holistic, integrated treatment approach. We see ourselves increasingly as a healthcare platform that offers new digital health formats alongside its traditional hospital operations. In cooperation with partners from the healthcare sector, we want to play an active role in shaping digitalisation and using it to improve healthcare in Germany. Our focus is on patient welfare.

Shaping the future of medicine

Asklepios was established in 1985 and is now a leading operator of private hospitals in Germany with around 170 healthcare facilities in 14 German federal states. The Asklepios Group has been a majority shareholder of MediClin AG since 2011 and of Rhön-Klinikum AG since 2020. In addition to university hospitals, providers of maximum, basic, standard and priority care as well as specialist hospitals and rehabilitation clinics, Asklepios operates medical centres (MVZ), software and e-health companies.

The corporate values of medical quality, innovation and social responsibility have been in place since the company’s foundation and continue to shape its development. The family-owned company is also committed to the digitalisation of the German healthcare system. Asklepios aspires to shape the future of medicine – and the key to this lies in digitalisation. The Asklepios vision of an integrated digital healthcare group is summed up by the term “Digital HealthyNear”. Additional information about the company profile can be found in the group management report 2022 from p. 12.

Alignment of the CSR-RUG issues with the significant topics at Asklepios

How we manage the Asklepios Group

The Management Board of Asklepios guides the company and defines the strategic orientation and its implementation. The other executive bodies of the company are the Supervisory Board and the Annual General Meeting. The Supervisory Board monitors and consults the management work by the general partner. Additional information about the governing bodies can be found in the Annual Report 2022 on p. 106.

The organisational structure of Asklepios is based on the following centrally controlled Group departments: Outpatient Medicine, Architecture & Construction, Purchasing & Supply, Revenue Management, ESG & Sustainability, Information Technology, Hospital Financing, Medicine & Science, Medical Law, Human Resources, Care, Quality, Risk Management & Audit, Legal, Accounting, Taxes & Controlling, Corporate Communications as well as Insurance & Compliance.

The Group divisions develop goals and strategies for the entire Asklepios Group. Operational responsibility for achieving the goals rests with the regional units.

Key figures for the area of general information ¹