Digital radar: Hospitals more digital, funding could halt progress

Digitalization in German hospitals continues to gather pace. This is confirmed by the second Digital Radar maturity assessment. Compared to the first survey in 2021, the Digital Radar score has increased by 27 percent. On average, hospitals achieved 42 out of 100 points for their level of digitalization. They have improved in areas such as “structures and systems”, processes, data management and information exchange.

Thomas Süptitz, Head of the Cybersecurity and Interoperability Division at the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), emphasizes that the positive results were only possible thanks to the great commitment and creativity of all those involved – despite challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers and bureaucratic hurdles.

According to those responsible, public and large hospitals in particular are ahead in terms of digitalization. Regional differences are also apparent: Berlin, for example, has the highest digital radar score with 47.7 points, as Prof. Sylvia Thun emphasized when presenting the results. Bremen recorded an increase of 12.3 points, thus showing the greatest progress.

A key objective of the Hospital Future Fund – was to improve interoperability and the exchange of information –. Accordingly, many hospitals are investing specifically in patient portals to increase patient participation. The survey is based on data from around 1,600 hospitals. “The progress is impressive, but there is still a lot to do,” says Prof. Volker Amelung, consortium spokesperson for the digital radar.

Digitalization costs a lot of money

The BMG praises the development and sees the maturity level measurement as an established instrument for the further digitalization of the hospital landscape. Looking to the future, the BMG emphasizes the need for sustainable financing models and continuous adaptation to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. The BMG is currently working on this. Although special funds and transformation funds help, they do not ensure the long-term financing of operating expenses.

Sanctions could be imposed on less digital hospitals in the future. A lot has happened in terms of digitalization with the Hospital Future Act, said Markus Holzbrecher-Morys, Head of the “Digitalization and eHealth” division at the German Hospital Federation in an interview with heise online. According to him, digitalization is currently costing hospitals money and threatens to be slowed down again soon: “The lack of operating cost financing is a massive problem.”

(mack)