radio telescope against sky with stars

Germany: Hospitals’ second assessment done

Germany has successfully concluded its second DigitalRadar assessment of the digital maturity of its hospitals, marking another milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to advance healthcare digitalisation. This second survey now gives hospitals a progress comparison towards the initial baseline survey in 2021, in which 1,624 hospitals, representing 91% of all planned hospitals, participated. Given the uniqueness of this project globally, the question arises: what makes it so successful? 

“This willingness to collaborate and reflect highlights the importance of digitalisation in the hospital sector and the strong desire to contribute actively,” said Prof. Dr. Sylvia Thun, project leader of DigitalRadar. Prof. Dr. Volker Amelung, spokesperson for the DigitalRadar consortium, added, “We are delighted and grateful for the high participation of hospitals in this second round of data collection.”

Armin Scheuer, CEO of Lemonmint and initiator of the DigitalRadar consortium highlighted the fact that the project is “the world’s largest and most comprehensive digital maturity assessment of a national hospital sector and the first one to be fully scientifically validated. It has increased the digital autonomy of the country and gained broad stakeholder support because it was developed from within the national health system.”

Facing significant resistance from healthcare stakeholders to the “US-centric” HIMSS EMRAM digital maturity model, the German government decided in 2021 to develop its own national digital maturity model as part of a research project. Alongside the national DigitalRadar Score, this new model incorporated elements from HIMSS EMRAM and provided an indicator of a hospital’s potential EMRAM score. This approach ensured the DigitalRadar model’s national relevance while allowing some level of international comparison.  

Success Factors

1. Trusted and Transparent Model Development

Inclusivity and ComprehensivenessAddressed concerns and interests from a diverse group of stakeholders.
Suitability for Germany’s Health System Developed from within the national health system and by national health stakeholders, ensuring relevance, fostering widespread support, and reducing resistance.
Trust and CollaborationMaintained alignment and transparent communication with the entire health sector.

2. Strengthening Healthcare Research

Enhanced Evidence-Based Decision Making   Improved research capabilities allow for more informed decisions based on robust data and scientific analysis, such as the link between the DigitalRadar Score, profitability, and outcomes. 
Data-Driven Insights Providing anonymised data for research purposes enables ongoing analysis and innovation, driving advancements in healthcare technologies and practices.  
 Intellectual Property Ownership Owning the IP rights ensures that the benefits and advancements derived from the research remain within the national framework, supporting further local innovation and development.

3. Promoting Good Governance and Digital Autonomy

Cost-Effective ApproachBudget of approximately €3,000 per hospital, covering model and platform development, assessments, and scientific evaluation.  
Increased Digital AutonomyEliminates dependency on foreign models and solutions, allowing for greater control in managing digital health transformation.
Regular and Comprehensive Assessments Sets the basis for continuous monitoring and improvement of digital strategies.

Lemonmint’s Digital Maturity Initiative

Leveraging significant international experience and a unique expert network, Lemonmint applies digital maturity strategies in its marketing, sales and business development consultancy work to grow the impact of our clients on the digital transformation of healthcare. Activities include speaking at conferences and workshops on the topic of digital maturity and its impact on various areas of healthcare – including prevention, precision medicine and digital transformation at scale. As part of its digital maturity strategy the company is further involved in producing a scientific publication together with Springer Nature on the topic – planned for release early 2025.

Learn more about Lemonmint’s Digital Maturity Initiative here.

Download Lemonmint’s Perspective on “Large-Scale Digital Maturity in the Middle East”.

Tags: