Saarland clinics are networking: digital patient portal launched!

Saarland clinics are networking: digital patient portal launched!

In the last few months, digitalization in the healthcare system in Germany has picked up speed again, especially in hospitals in Saarland. An exciting project is being implemented: Eleven hospitals in Saarland have joined forces to bring their patient portals online by the end of 2025. KMA Online reported that the project is scheduled to start in October 2024, with six more clinics also set to use the system next year.

What is the background to this endeavor? The origin of the idea lies in the networking of intensive care units during the corona pandemic, which highlighted the need for a common, digitalized approach. With a regional, cross-sector care platform, the participating clinics want to significantly improve the health care of their patients. Project manager Lars von Ohlen, who is responsible for the digitalization projects, is optimistic about the common entry page, which will give patients uniform access to all clinics with just one account.

Digitalization and its challenges

The connection and data exchange takes place via a cloud, with initially unstructured and later structured data being available. This data storage is carried out separately for each hospital. The patient portal provider is Planfox, which will support the clinics in further expanding their digital infrastructure. The introduction of such a portal is often underestimated, but it is nevertheless an essential step into the digital future.

As part of the Hospital Future Act A hospital future fund was set up with 4.3 billion euros available for digital transformation in the clinics. From January 1, 2021, hospital operators can cover 30% of the investment costs themselves. It is important to mention that both the federal and state governments are making their financial resources available to advance digitalization in hospitals.

Future-oriented projects

Additional federal and state funding programs support digitalization, but this means that clinics have to act strategically and quickly to secure the funds. PwC makes it clear that hospitals that do not actively shape this change must expect financial deductions.

The upcoming project in Saarland goes hand in hand with efforts to advance digitalization in the healthcare system across Germany. The challenge is not only to find technical solutions, but also to place employees and patients at the center of strategies to ensure sustainable and future-proof healthcare. Piloting the system and analyzing the first results by the end of July are crucial steps in this development.