Healthcare Barometer 1/2025 - Securing healthcare with innovative concepts

Rising costs, demographic change, high demands on the quality of medical care, financial restrictions and increasing supply bottlenecks in rural regions require innovative approaches in the healthcare sector. It is therefore important to further develop existing structures in the healthcare system and design creative solutions that meet the challenges of the future.

The need to develop new care models to ensure high-quality patient care in the long term and on a sustainable basis is essential. In this issue of the Healthcare Barometer, we present these innovative care models that should secure the future of healthcare.  

We have spoken to industry experts who provide insights into current developments and highlight the opportunities that arise from the smart implementation of new care models. Field reports illustrate how innovative approaches are already being successfully implemented today and what impact this has on patients, hospitals and the entire healthcare system.

• Sana Kliniken AG is developing innovative care models and driving their implementation forward. Thomas Lemke, CEO of the company and Vice President of DKG Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft e. V., explains what new paths he sees in the healthcare sector and where the industry stands in the digital transformation.

• The Bavarian Hospital Association - an association of hospital operators and umbrella organizations - supports medical services of general interest and develops sustainable care models. Roland Engehausen, Managing Director of the society, explains how pioneering approaches are being implemented and further developed in Germany. Prof. Dr. Lutz Hager, Chairman of the Board of the German Managed Care Association, and Johanna Nüsken, Managing Director of the association, will explain the potential that lies in the further development of care models and how the legal framework can be used in the best possible way.

• Sebastian Polag, Member of the Management Board, and Tim Allendörfer, Central Service Patient and Budget Management at AGAPLESION gAG, will explain how forward-looking care models are used in a non-profit hospital to provide optimal patient care.

• Health insurance companies also play an important role in new care models. Anne-Kathrin Klemm, Director of the BKK umbrella association, explains why the diversity of the individual health insurance funds offers an opportunity for sustainable care solutions and how the individual health insurance funds can respond specifically to the needs of the insured.

• AOK Sachsen-Anhalt is implementing strategic measures and regional adjustments to improve healthcare provision. Corinna Beutel, Head of Health and Care Programs, explains the role of hybrid care models in this context.

• Prof. Dr. Josef Hilbert, Chairman of the Netzwerk Deutsche Gesundheitsregionen e. V., and Dr. h. c. Helmut Hildebrandt, CEO of OptiMedis AG, explain why associations play a central role in the further development of innovative healthcare approaches and are a decisive factor for their growth and success.

• There are also interesting approaches to new models for patient care in our neighboring countries. Pille Banhard, member of the board of the Estonian health insurance company, uses the example of Estonia to show how progressive such models can be and what factors have led to their success.

• Christian Ernst, Head of Zollikerberg Hospital, Clinic for Internal Medicine, provides insights into the practice of care in Switzerland and describes how a "Hospital at Home" model is an innovative addition to healthcare.

The new issue of the Healthcare Barometer is now available for download.

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