In her welcome address, Dean Prof. Dr. Sylvia Schafmeister outlined the paradoxical situation facing the German healthcare system: high expenditure and good facilities on the one hand, gaps in care provision, staff shortages and demographic pressure on the other. The key question of the evening was: How can management, digital innovation and new job profiles secure long-term care provision?
Health as a value-adding factor
In his presentation, Prof. Dr Alexander Würfel suggested that healthcare should not be viewed solely as a cost factor, but rather as economically beneficial and a worthwhile investment. He argued that patients should be actively integrated into their healthcare process as customers, similar to what has long been standard practice in Finland. Gamification approaches could contribute to motivation. In addition, a complete digital transformation of processes is needed.
Digitalisation between potential and practical problems
Digitalisation practices are struggling with a lack of standards, inadequate infrastructure and incompatible systems, added Prof. Dr Johannes Schobel. Despite all its advantages, AI is not a panacea, and blind trust in its results has proven to be misguided. It is also not advisable to distribute data freely. As an example from HNU research, he presented smart sockets that use electricity consumption patterns to draw conclusions about the everyday capabilities of older people.
New job profiles: Physician assistants relieve the burden on the system
With the "physician assistant" (PA), Prof. Dr. Judith Mantz presented a job profile that relieves medical teams and creates continuity in wards. Demand is high, with a 100 per cent employment rate for graduates.
Controversial discussion on medical care centres, working models and remuneration
The ensuing discussion with the HNU experts and Dr Christian Buck, Dr Dorothee Hock and Dr Birgit Schleß from the Lions Club Ulm/Neu-Ulm – Alb-Donau and the audience focused, among other things, on medical care centres (MVZs). The advantages of flexible working models in large doctor-led practices are on the positive side, as opposed to investor-led centres, whose pursuit of profit leads to monopolies. This is where politics comes in. In this context, the question arose as to why young doctors are increasingly opting for employment rather than independently run practices.
One doctor emphasised the advantages of having her own practice: flexibility, appeal and diversity. Work-life balance, social insecurity and high financial hurdles were cited as disadvantages. A key point of criticism was the inadequate remuneration for consultations: "Time is something that is not remunerated in any way in our system," said the doctor. There were also calls for prevention, such as a school subject called "health education" to anchor health awareness in the population. In the area of practical digital medicine, issues included problems with electronic patient records (ePA), which are often incomplete and limited by data protection, while e-prescriptions are considered a success.
Conclusion: Great opportunities, great need for reform
The evening made it clear that digitalisation, new job profiles and innovative care concepts offer great potential, but structural reforms, a thoughtful approach to economic conditions and openness to technological change are needed. The discussion also showed how great the need is for exchange and joint development in the healthcare sector.
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