Embracing the successful-follower shortcut
- TRANSFORMERS.health
- March 13, 2023
- FRESH LEMONMINT
- 0 Comments
A successful-follower strategy can help Germany address barriers in digital transformation and roll-out new services faster.
In the quest to enhance its healthcare digitalization, Germany is advised to adopt a ‘successful-follower’ strategy, learning from global best practices to expedite its digital transformation. This insight comes from an E-HEALTH-COM article by Armin Scheuer, founder of Lemonmint, and Joerg Studinski, Digital Projects Leader at Agaplesion Health System.
Despite being a tech powerhouse, Germany lags in healthcare digitalization, struggling to make significant strides despite considerable efforts and investments over the decades. The authors argue for a ‘digital-first’ strategy, emphasizing the role of telemedicine and digital therapeutics in making digital healthcare accessible to the public. They advocate for the consistent adoption of international standards like SNOMED, LOINC, and FHIR to establish a robust framework for R&D and industry applications.
A notable suggestion from the authors is the reevaluation of data protection norms, inspired by Finland’s approach, where data protectors facilitate solutions rather than impede them. This shift towards usability and the dismantling of bureaucratic barriers could significantly advance healthcare.
“In Finland, data protection officers see themselves as service providers who enable solutions through a whitelist instead of preventing them with a blacklist.”
The concept of ‘successful-follower’ implies that Germany should integrate internationally successful digital healthcare practices into its local context. The authors recommend revising funding mechanisms to minimize administrative overheads and incentivize improvements in digital maturity, as measured by the country’s DigitalRadar – a tool assessing the digital readiness of over 1,600 hospitals.
Moreover, the authors call for a cultural transformation towards a ‘Digital Health Society.’ This involves extensive communication efforts to empower citizens and healthcare providers, enabling them to make informed decisions about digital health services.
Source: https://e-health-com.de/kolumnen/details-blog/vom-reifegrad-zur-digitalen-exzellenz/ (in German, last accessed Jan 4, 2024)
