Saxony Leads Germany in Hospital Digitalization, Survey Finds

Saxony has emerged as a national leader in the digitalization of its hospitals, according to a recent survey. The state achieved a digital maturity score of 60.3 out of a possible 100 points, placing it at the top among German federal states. Berlin followed with 59.4 points, while the national average stands at 55 points.

This achievement represents a significant leap for Saxony's healthcare facilities. The state's digital maturity has seen a relative improvement of approximately 73% since the implementation of the Hospital Future Act in 2020. This growth far outpaces the national average increase of around 65%, which saw the overall digital maturity score rise from 33.3 points in 2021 to the current 55 points.

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The digitalization of Saxony's clinics is making pleasing progress – now it must consistently reach patients and extend beyond the borders of individual institutions.

Alexander Krauß, head of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) in Saxony, expressed satisfaction with the progress, emphasizing the need for these digital advancements to reach patients and extend beyond individual institutions. The goal is a digitally connected healthcare system where hospital data seamlessly integrates into electronic patient records and is accessible via primary care physicians' software. While technical and organizational structures, crisis management, and system performance have improved, the TK notes that the use of digital applications for patients, such as portals and telemedicine, requires further strengthening.

Nationwide, hospitals have access to 4.3 billion euros from the Hospital Future Fund for digitalization, supplemented by 1.3 billion euros from the federal states. Saxony alone is allocating 212 million euros to support digital projects within its clinics. The survey, conducted by the 'DigitalRadar Krankenhaus' consortium on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, included 1,531 hospitals, all of Saxony's clinics among them.

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Our goal is a digitally networked healthcare system where data from the hospital lies structured in the electronic patient record and can be seamlessly used in the practice software of the family doctor.