Digitalization in the healthcare sector

Digitalization in healthcare improves the prerequisites for high-quality treatments. It permits analysis of medical data for identification of diseases, permits individually tailored therapies, and thereby opens up new treatment and therapeutic opportunities.

The hospital market in Germany is developing dynamically on the back of these innovations. Digital patient records and telemedicine are enabling new communication channels and facilitating faster transfer and interpretation of health data. At Helios, we are seeking to leverage the potential of these opportunities and structure them responsibly. To this end, we are using the DigitalRadar Score to record our progress and assess the degree of digitalization in our hospitals. The government launched this evaluation model in 2021 and it measures the basic status of digitalization in German hospitals. In 2021, 1,624 hospitals across Germany took part in the initial survey and the average DigitalRadar Score was 33.3 out of a possible 100 points. The average DigitalRadar Score in Helios facilities was 45.1. The second DigitalRadar Score survey will follow in 2024.

Helios digitalization goals for improved quality of service and treatment

Helios has the ambition to become a digital pioneer in the German healthcare sector, including systematic digitalization of all suitable processes and offerings. This will enable us to improve service and quality of medical care for patients over the long term, and to enhance the productivity and working conditions of our employees.

Helios is expanding digital processes in all areas of the company, and defined three digitalization goals for this in 2023. The aim is to achieve the desired improvements over the long term. The automation of processes has played a key role since then. Wherever possible, recurring activities should be simplified and accelerated using digital assistants.

Helios becomes a digital pioneer in the German healthcare system

Digitalization goal 1 (by 2024)

Focusing on service quality for patients, all documents and services relating to healthcare are to be digitalized and made available online in 2024. They include doctor’s letters and appointment bookings.

Digitalization goal 2 (by 2025)

All documents and services for Helios employees are also to be available online in 2025. This is intended to make the working day simpler and more efficient. It is all about the digital availability of personnel, billing, and pay data.

Digitalization goal 3 (by 2026)

In 2026, all key medical decisions at Helios are to be taken with digital support and thereby further improve the quality of medical care. Artificial intelligence can provide support for medical decisions on the basis of big data.

More flexible, more efficient and safer data exchange through the Helios patient portal

As one of the pioneers in the German healthcare market, Helios has maintained a patient portal since 2019 and has developed digital patient records in tandem. As a result of individual access via the hospital websites, patients have the flexibility to view doctor’s letters and findings. They are provided with essential elements of their own patient records and they can then decide whether or not to share the information. At the end of 2023, the patient portal was available at 64 of our hospitals and it can be accessed via each hospital’s website. In 2023, the patient portal had 297,000 (2022: 205,000) registered users, 1,380,000 (2022: 700,000) documents exchanged, and around 203,000 (2021: 137,000) appointments booked online.

Expansion of the electronic patient record (ePA)

The expansion of the electronic patient record (ePA) continued to be the central focus of our digitalization activities in 2023. A digital patient record containing clinical correspondence, results and all clinical imaging is available at almost every workstation at Helios hospitals, adding value for doctors carrying out treatment as well as for patients. Integrated software solutions at about half of Helios hospitals provides support in boosting patient safety. Special programs provide e.g. warnings and alerts about potential drug interactions.

In the future, the ePA is to be integrated in Germany’s nationwide telematics infrastructure. The intention is for this infrastructure to improve information flow within the healthcare system. The government is driving forward expansion of telematics infrastructure to optimize access to patient data while at the same time maintaining data protection and security standards. We are preparing for this integration with the focus on higher quality of healthcare, and enhanced efficiency for healthcare and administrative processes. The electronic medication management functionality is planned as part of the telematics infrastructure. This is intended to enable electronic prescriptions to be sent digitally to participants outside the hospital, such as doctor’s offices or pharmacies. Patients decide for themselves whether their information is shared.

Helios patient portal