Your Presentation at the DMEA - Call for Papers Congress Program

Session description

The relevance of interoperability has continuously increased in recent years. Many hopes are tied to the topic, envisioning better, simpler, future-proof, and faster-available processes and IT solutions in healthcare through the avoidance of proprietary systems and interfaces. The legislature has made significant efforts in recent years to achieve progress in this area, and more projects and initiatives are planned. But what has actually reached users in practice so far? What is the balance of previous projects – also from a cost-benefit perspective? Which projects will play a key role in the future?

Session focus

This session aims to provide a concise overview of current and future interoperability approaches, with examples from science and practice. International approaches may be included and compared with the requirements of the German healthcare system. An interdisciplinary exchange is encouraged, with active involvement of the audience. Look forward to exciting practical presentations and an interactive discussion round.

Session goal

The goal of the session is to discuss current and future aspects of the topic in a qualified manner, giving all participants an outlook on the relevance and potential of this field.

Target audience

The topic is aimed at anyone interested in future developments in healthcare and health IT.

Key questions to be addressed in the session

• Which interoperability standards are already bringing added value to healthcare today?
• What is planned for the future?
• What additional content is needed?
• Are there best-practice examples today that, for example, reflect the requirements of the KH-Reform?
• What is the cost-benefit balance?

Possible solution approaches, technologies, or standards to be presented

• FHIR in practice
• Terminology servers – functions and content
• SNOMED CT
• ISIK – implementation and status

Relevance

The generic exchangeability of data – both syntactically and semantically – is one of the goals of interoperability approaches. At the same time, different IT systems should be able to communicate with each other bidirectionally and with reasonable effort. The issue of data sovereignty also plays a significant role, as institutions and users should be protected from vendor lock-in situations.

Potential impact on future developments or trends

This topic affects all areas of healthcare and nearly all IT applications, making it highly significant for future developments.

Session description

Nursing care scenarios require continuous, intersectoral (outpatient/inpatient), and interprofessional (nursing/medicine/other therapeutic professions) information flow between involved stakeholders to ensure the safest and most effective medical and nursing care. Likewise, care-dependent individuals and their families need information as a decision-making basis for self-determined participation or to clarify medical and administrative matters.
The session "Digitalization in Nursing" explores this topic, addressing challenges (e.g., connection to the TI) and obstacles (e.g., lack of skills) as well as presenting innovative solutions (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, DiPAs, and DIGAs) or best practices from nursing care (outpatient care, long-term inpatient care, or clinical nursing). The session will also provide room for a broader look at the future.

Session goal

Specific goals, e.g., knowledge increase, network building, or collaboration promotion.

If you would like to contribute from the fields of care, research, or business on a conceptual level to one of the above topics, we look forward to your submission. Please refrain from purely product placements.

Target audience

The session addresses topics that are relevant to decision-makers, developers, and nursing professionals working directly with patients.

Key questions to be addressed in the session

• Key questions to be addressed during the session.
• Possible solutions, technologies, or standards to be presented.
• How does the mandatory connection of outpatient care and long-term inpatient care to the telematics infrastructure by July 1, 2025, support intersectoral, interprofessional nursing care?
• Which nursing processes are already digitally mapped in your facility (outpatient or inpatient) and possibly supported by AI? Can you share a practical example of a successful or failed digitalization project ("positive and negative experience") in nursing?
• What added value has the digitalization of nursing processes brought to your facility?

Relevance (Why is this topic important?)

• Explanation of the importance of the topic for the industry or sector.
• Potential impact on future developments or trends.

Ensuring continuous care for sick, care-dependent, and vulnerable individuals in a modularized and specialized healthcare system is one of the central challenges in current and future healthcare. This challenge is compounded by the rise of chronically ill and multimorbid patients. Existing boundaries between sectors and institutions hinder care by creating interface problems, leading to deficits in management and information continuity.

Session description

Have you already familiarized yourself with the Emergency Care Reform Act (NotfallG)? Do you have ideas about how the law will impact the organization and workflows in outpatient emergency care?

The goal of the legislature is to direct those seeking help in acute and emergency situations more quickly to appropriate care and to utilize emergency facilities more efficiently. A central feature of the reform is the introduction of "acute dispatch centers" where physicians offer advice by phone or video, and Integrated Emergency Centers (INZ) at hospitals, where emergency service practices and emergency rooms work closely together and, in the future, will also collaborate with private practices. The objectives are to improve the efficiency and structure of medical emergency care, as well as to relieve pressure on emergency services and hospital emergency departments.

Target audience

Apply for this session if you have thoroughly studied the NotfallG and have already found, developed, or implemented smart and practical solutions for acute dispatch centers, Integrated Emergency Centers, or the processes in between. We look forward to your submission.

Key questions to be addressed in the session

• What will the new processes look like, and how can they be digitally supported and implemented?
• What needs to be considered?
• Will patients need to scan their insurance card three or more times?
• What hurdles exist – and how can they be overcome?

Session description

KHZG, Hospital Structure Reform, KRITIS, NIS 2... The transformation in the hospital landscape is taking its toll. One potential strategy is for larger hospitals to position themselves as regional healthcare providers, offering everything under one organizational umbrella—from outpatient and inpatient care to rehabilitation and nursing facilities. This is all interconnected through a shared infrastructure, centralized IT services, and a patient portal that serves as the common thread for patients.

Focus of the session

Cross-sector communication is extremely important in such organizational models and has seen significant development in the last two years. HL7 FHIR, together with the ISIK standards, facilitates communication between outpatient systems (PVS), hospital information systems (KIS), and documentation systems in rehabilitation and nursing care.

Objective of the session

How could a hospital information system (KIS) be designed to meet the requirements of cross-sector communication, accurate and secure documentation of outpatient, inpatient, rehabilitation, and elderly care services, and the integration of all necessary subsystems?

Target audience

The call for papers is directed at manufacturers of hospital information systems, as well as providers of software that addresses specific aspects of hospital processes. Participants are expected to come from hospital IT, medical technology, and hospital management. We aim to look to the future and discuss ideas for the KIS of tomorrow.

Key questions to be addressed in the session

• Will we see an architecture where the most functionally suitable systems communicate through standard interfaces (Best of Breed)?
• Or will we continue to live with monolithic hospital information systems that now encompass all sectors?

Possible solution approaches, technologies, or standards to be presented

The hospital landscape is evolving rapidly even after KHZG, and the challenges are becoming more complex:

• Mapping of cross-sector billing systems for regional healthcare providers
• Integration of subsystems and modalities from different environments
• New user interface concepts: Mobile, telemedicine-based, AI-supported, or direct integration with medical devices
• Managing new data quality and quantity—how can we make it securely usable?
• All of this must also meet the requirements arising from KRITIS and NIS 2

If you have a contribution from healthcare, research, or business at the conceptual level on the above topics, we look forward to your submission. Please refrain from product placements.

Session Description

The future of healthcare lies in telemedicine. How can digital technologies help connect patients and healthcare professionals efficiently without requiring long distances to be traveled? In this session, we aim to present practical examples and innovative approaches to how telemedicine is already being successfully implemented today. From digital consultations to remote monitoring, we invite you to share your experiences, research findings, and best practices.

Target Audience

General practitioners, decision-makers/executive management, IT leaders, policymakers.

Topics/Content

Presentation of established, practical examples and innovative approaches for telemedicine applications:

• In both inpatient and outpatient settings, such as digital family doctor practices, home monitoring, or within the framework of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL).
• In various medical fields such as teleradiology, telepathology, telecardiology, and teledermatology.
• Additional use cases, from pharmacy applications to implanted blood pressure monitors for continuous monitoring, to telemedicine boxes in nursing homes.
• The impact of telemedicine on patient care and satisfaction.

Relevance (Why is this topic important?)

Telemedicine opens new avenues for location-independent and more efficient healthcare, which is especially beneficial in rural areas. It can optimize workflows and significantly reduce waiting times. Moreover, telemedicine holds enormous potential for cost reduction by decreasing unnecessary doctor visits and hospital stays. Given the demographic changes and the increasing demand for medical care for the elderly, telemedicine offers innovative solutions to address this challenge.

Session Goal

Increase knowledge of telemedicine possibilities and provide inspiration through established, practical examples.

Session description

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to fundamentally transform healthcare. It not only optimizes medical care but also offers innovative solutions to address challenges such as workforce shortages. However, the implementation of AI also raises critical questions about the future of the medical profession and the strategic integration of AI into existing systems.

Session objective

This session explores the impact of AI on healthcare, focusing specifically on changes to the medical profession, innovative workforce strategies, and the development of realistic AI implementation concepts. We aim to highlight the practical implications for healthcare providers and medical personnel.

Topics/content: key questions to be addressed during the session include:

• Possible solutions, technologies, or standards to be introduced
• We invite contributions on the following topics:

• The Future of the Medical Profession: How the role of physicians is evolving and the new skills required in the AI era.
• AI and Workforce Shortages: The potential of AI to help alleviate staff shortages in the healthcare sector.
• AI Readiness: Developing realistic AI strategies: Practical approaches to assess AI readiness and implement AI solutions in clinical practice.

Your contribution should deepen the understanding of the opportunities and challenges of AI in healthcare, particularly regarding changes in the workplace and strategic planning. The goal is to stimulate critical discussions and develop practical solutions.

Target Audience

This session is aimed at an interdisciplinary audience from the healthcare sector, including medical professionals, IT leaders, human resource developers, executives, and decision-makers.

Session description

Cloud solutions have become indispensable in everyday life, and they are increasingly being used in healthcare. The reason for this is their unparalleled advantages, including operational reliability, innovation speed, availability, and efficiency. This session aims to promote the adoption of cloud software in healthcare and to increase its use in medical facilities.

Through practical examples, the session will demonstrate and discuss how the introduction of cloud software in hospitals, medical centers (MVZ), and physician practices can succeed, and how a sustainable cloud strategy can lead to more efficient healthcare.

Key topics & questions to be addressed during the session

• What is the current state of “cloudification” in inpatient and outpatient care?
• What cloud strategies for hospitals, medical centers (MVZ), or practices are most promising? How should one prepare for the introduction of cloud structures?
• How can follow-up funding from the KHZG start-up support be reflected in a sustainable strategy?
• How can cloud projects best take advantage of opportunities (e.g., through Software as a Service, SaaS) and plan for challenges (e.g., certifications)?

Through sharing best practices and experiences, this session will provide knowledge to professionals from both inpatient and outpatient sectors and offer incentives for implementing their own cloud strategies.

Target audience

Healthcare professionals from both inpatient and outpatient settings, IT managers, decision-makers, and executives interested in cloud solutions for healthcare.

Session Description

The electronic patient record (ePA) is the pinnacle of telematics applications and serves as a digital focal point for both treating illnesses and preventive care. Treatment documents, emergency data, and much more should be accessible regardless of time and place. In addition to the upcoming national “opt-out ePA” (effective from January 15, 2025), healthcare networks, regional initiatives, and projects have already been using condition-specific ePAs for years. The key factors here are the usefulness and usability for healthcare professionals and patients.

This session will report on and discuss initial experiences with the ePA, while also inviting contributions on experiences with condition-specific ePAs. Known challenges and anticipated insights will be shared. The session will present obstacles and opportunities of the ePA using concrete, innovative solutions.

Target Audience

• Providers who have integrated their systems with the national ePA or who have had to integrate it into primary systems.
• Hospital IT personnel responsible for implementing and managing the integration and use of the ePA in daily care.
• Physicians, practice owners and operators, nursing professionals, and other healthcare providers.
• Patients and representatives from patient organizations.

Topics/Content

• Experiences from providers on connecting primary systems to the ePA and integrating ePA functionalities into the user interface.
• Insights from physicians on the benefits and impact of general or condition-specific, cross-institutional records on care delivery.
• Patient experiences, use cases, and demands from their perspective.

Relevance (Why Is This Topic Important?)

Learning from experience and generating insights for future improvements.

Session description

Since the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU Green Deal, healthcare facilities have increasingly focused on climate neutrality, circular economy, and resource-saving processes. Hospitals and manufacturers are now required to establish a reporting system for their activities and progress in the areas of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) (Sustainability Reporting, CSRD). This creates a high demand for additional data, often from third parties. In this session, solutions for managing sustainability data and the available standards and databases will be presented, showing how sustainability data can become drivers for transformation in healthcare facilities.

Target audience

Professionals from healthcare facilities and their suppliers, particularly decision-makers from medical practices, hospitals, and care facilities, as well as employees working in sustainability, procurement, and information systems.

Key topics & questions to be addressed during the session

• What data do healthcare facilities need for sustainability reports and to guide transformation?
• How can this data be collected?
• How can healthcare facilities and manufacturers set up data management systems for sustainability criteria?
• Which systems are affected, and how can sustainable data flows be created?
• What standards and databases are used?
• Who provides product-related sustainability data (PCF), and how is data exchanged?
• Standards in procurement (GS1 master data, ECLASS, etc.).

Potential solutions, technologies, or standards to be introduced

This session will introduce various approaches, technologies, and standards for managing sustainability data.

Relevance (Why Is This Topic Important?)

With the EU Green Deal aiming to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent, healthcare facilities and their suppliers are facing significant regulatory challenges. They must collect, organize, and report data on ESG criteria. Building a standardized data management system is essential to meet these requirements and facilitate the transformation of the healthcare industry.

Session Goal

Increase knowledge, share practical examples, promote collaboration, standardization, and the development and use of databases for sustainability data management.

Session Description

This session will examine the requirements of the new NIS 2 Directive and the anticipated mandates of the KRITIS Framework Law for hospitals. The focus will be on increasing resilience to cyberattacks and securing critical infrastructures. Participants will gain practical insights into implementing security measures and forward-looking strategies to ensure robust information security.

Target Audience

This session is aimed at executives, leaders, IT directors, and information security officers from hospitals, as well as operators of medical centers (MVZ) and physician practices.

Key Topics & Questions to Be Addressed During the Session

• What are the implications of current and future regulations for hospitals? (B3S, NIS2 Implementation Act, KRITIS Framework Law, OH SzA, C5 attestations, etc.)
• What are practical ways to implement these regulations?
• What proven protective measures against cyberattacks can be applied?
• What are practical concepts for emergency planning and business continuity management?

Potential solutions, technologies, or standards to be introduced

The session will showcase practical solutions, technologies, and standards related to IT security and resilience in healthcare.

Relevance (Why Is This Topic Important?)

As hospitals face increasing risks from cyberattacks due to digitalization, ensuring resilience has become critical. Several healthcare facilities were affected by cyber incidents last year, often taking weeks to fully recover. The NIS 2 Directive and the KRITIS Framework Law demand that healthcare operators significantly enhance their IT security and resilience. This requires increased investment in cybersecurity technologies, the introduction of business continuity management, and staff training. These trends are driving the development of security management in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities, helping them comply with regulations and better protect critical infrastructures.

Session Goal

The session aims to provide an understanding of the latest regulations, practical solutions, and the opportunity for direct exchange with speakers and participants.

Session Description

This session will focus on data utilization in healthcare services research. In Germany, there have been several efforts in this field over the past decades, but due to limited data collection capabilities, the success has been restricted.

If digitalization and interoperability are implemented effectively, vast amounts of data from all sectors of the healthcare system could be used for healthcare services research. Therefore, the session will focus on the potential of data utilization and its medical and societal benefits. It is not about the technical aspects of interoperability and system communication, but rather the perspectives/results of consolidating, analyzing, and interpreting medical data—especially from cross-sector and cross-location sources (e.g., electronic patient records, monitoring systems, medical technology)—to concretely improve healthcare from the level of patient groups to entire populations.

Target Audience

The session is aimed at professionals and developers in the field.

Key Topics & Questions to Be Addressed During the Session

• Explanation of the importance of this topic for the sector.
• Potential impacts on future developments or trends.

In three presentations and a concluding discussion, the session will explore the perspectives of data utilization in healthcare services research, addressing the following questions:

• What types of data (e.g., primary documentation, secondary data, real-world data) are being consolidated and made analyzable?
• What concrete benefits have been demonstrated through data consolidation and analysis in healthcare? What examples exist of real medical and/or societal value? How have findings and recommendations from research been implemented into real healthcare processes?
• With what infrastructures (e.g., research data centers, electronic patient records, medical registries) is this being achieved?
• How is data access and security ensured? Who should be allowed to use the data, and how can societal acceptance for data utilization be achieved?
• What legal frameworks are needed for data consolidation and utilization (e.g., “data donation,” opt-in vs. opt-out)?
• What national and international initiatives and pilot projects contribute to healthcare services research through the consolidation, analysis, and interpretation of medical data?

Relevance (Why Is This Topic Important?)

This session will emphasize the significance of the topic for the sector and its potential impacts on future trends and developments.

Session Goal

The goal is to enhance knowledge, foster networking, and promote collaboration. Only contributions that offer fundamental insights or share experiences from implemented projects on an international or national level will be accepted—NO product pitches or presentations of projects with limited future prospects. Presentations with "wishes" for legislative action will be reserved for the panel discussion.

Session hosts aim to curate a balanced composition of two presentations on real data utilization and the challenges in healthcare services research, alongside one presentation on an international healthcare services research infrastructure. Additionally, they may invite an extra panelist for the closing discussion.

Session description

What changes are brought about by European legislation regarding the European Health Data Space (EHDS)? This development presents both opportunities and risks for healthcare provision and research. The focus of this session is not only on data utilization but also on cross-border care, particularly through the use of e-prescriptions and the patient summary record.

Target audience

Representatives from insurance companies and health funds, as well as healthcare providers, especially those in outpatient and inpatient care.

Content/key topics

What legal frameworks are set by the EHDS, and what are the procedural implications for patients and healthcare providers?

Session goal

To highlight the impact of the EHDS on national healthcare processes.

We are considering changing the format of this session to make it more engaging. Instead of longer presentations, we would opt for short talks followed by an interactive discussion. What do you think of this approach?

Session Description

The objective of the session is to present and evaluate the integration of the TI communication services KIM and TIM into care processes and existing systems of hospitals, practices, health services and health insurance companies and to consider future developments. The focus should be on real experiences as much as possible.

Specifically, contributions to KIM and TIM are expected in all areas of healthcare referring to the following subject areas: (i) practical experience with the integration of KIM into healthcare processes, (ii) initial experiences with the implementation of the TI_Messenger Pro for stakeholders in the healthcare sector, (iii) planning to provide the TI-Messenger ePA for insured persons, (iv) approaches to integrating the TI-Messenger Connect with products and platforms from service providers, (v) TI Messenger integration into existing messenger services and (vi) user-centered, user-friendly integration of KIM and TIM IT applications and systems.

The 60-minute session will include three to four presentations with discussion.

The application must be structured as follows: 1. Introduction, motivation and question, 2. Material, methods and tools, 3. Description of the solution, 4. Results, experiences and lessons learned and 5. Discussion and outlook. Applications that deviate from the above structure will be excluded from the evaluation. The contributions should be factual; pure product placements should be avoided.

Taget audience

Representatives of in- and outpatient health provider, vendors, service provider, patients

Session Description

The ongoing digitalization of medical care brings many advantages, including improved quality of care and relief for staff through more efficient workflows. However, in many cases, digitalization also entails an increase in legal requirements. Current examples include the Digitalization Act (DigiG), the Health Data Usage Act (GDNG) at the federal level, the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), and the European Health Data Space (EHDS) at the European level. This raises the question of whether an increase in legal requirements leads to a disproportionate increase in bureaucracy.

Medical care in Germany is already burdened by excessive bureaucracy in the form of overwhelming documentation and convoluted regulations. A significant portion of available resources must be devoted to compliance, detracting from medical care and counteracting the intended efficiency gains from digitalization.

Session Goal

In this session, we will discuss which (new) legal requirements in Germany concerning the digitalization of medical care lead to a disproportionate increase in bureaucratic compliance efforts. We will also explore approaches to reducing bureaucracy. Concrete examples will be sought that demonstrate how bureaucratic reduction is already functioning or can be anticipated in the future.

The session will focus on the topic of bureaucratic reduction in the context of digitalization in both the inpatient and outpatient sectors of medical care in Germany. The planned format is a sixty-minute session with three fifteen-minute presentations, followed by an interactive discussion. The language of the presentations will be German. The goal is to make a concrete contribution to identifying opportunities for reducing bureaucracy amidst the ongoing digitalization of medical care in Germany.