Designing a digital health system
The digital transformation in culture, society and business is more than technological progress. It is a fundamental transformation process - even for our health system. It offers opportunities but also challenges. Yet, it can become a success story through cooperation, an open attitude towards innovation and political support.
The digital transformation is disruptive, not very predictable and has very fundamental consequences. Digital technologies are also changing health care. But the research-based pharmaceutical companies recognize extraordinary potential for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Established and new stakeholders are developing innovative solutions and expanding traditional structures and ranges. Cooperation and exchange in health care is also becoming more decentralized, more linked-up and more direct. Based on new digital technologies, the result is the formation of new partnerships and care networks to improve medicine for the benefit of patients.
Call for eHealth vision
But to turn the opportunities and challenges of digitization into a success story, there needs to a common direction and collective action. Signs of this development can be found in many health systems around the world, often further advanced than in Germany (e.g. Denmark, the Netherlands or Switzerland). In the international race for innovation, the German health sector relies on a strong location with reliable framework conditions and openness to innovation.
That is why medical technology, biotechnology, health IT and the research-based pharmaceutical industries have joined forces to push forward the development of a national eHealth vision and the implementation of an eHealth strategy derived from it.
Click here to read the joint call from the various organizations for a national eHealth vision for Germany (January 2018)
Dialogue platform for an eHealth vision
The participating organizations have further developed the call for a joint position paper. Central challenges are summarized across the industry sectors in this discussion proposal. For example, it contains a proposal for standards on the use of research data or on the interoperability of medical IT systems. It is now essential that the common direction is mapped out together with all partners in health care and under political moderation. The paper is a practical proposal and stimulus for this.
Click here for the joint position paper "Dialogue platform eHealth vision for Germany" (June 2018)
Contribution from the research-based pharmaceutical companies
What answers do the research-based pharmaceutical companies have for successfully shaping the digital transformation and on improving patient care: What does digitization mean for the research-based pharmaceutical companies and what recommendations does the vfa have in mind for a digital management strategy? All these answers are summarized in the brochure .
Digital technologies and applications can already be found in all phases of the value creation process of the research-based pharmaceutical companies: ranging from research & development, through production and market access to patient care
At a glance
Materials to download
- Joint position paper: "Impetus for implementing a dialogue platform towards a joint eHealth vision" (June 2018)
- Joint press release "eHealth vision for Germany: Joint impetus by the organizations in the industrial health sector" (June 2018)
- Call by the organizations for a national eHealth vision for Germany (January 2018)
- Joint press release "Digitization in health care: organizations in the industrial health sector demand eHealth vision for Germany" (January 2018)
