AI for Health Maturity in Germany: Current State and Prospects | Georgi Chaltikyan

Georgi Chaltikyan, professor at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, contributed insights into Germany’s AI for Health maturity. His presentation outlined the current state of digital health in Germany and the prospects for secondary use of health data and AI. Georgi emphasised the regulatory efforts that have materialised in legislation that encourages digital health implementation in Germany. The legislative acts include the 2019 Digital Care Act, the 2020 Hospital Future Act, and the 2021 the Digital Supply Care Modernisation Act. These regulations have led to the deployment of a Digital Radar to measure the IT maturity in German hospitals, the electronic health record and ePrescription system, and Germany’s DiGA programme. In the secondary use and AI field, trust remains an issue despite the growth of German AI startups. Two new national legislative packages (the Digital Act and the Health Data Use Act) are currently being discussed in the Bundestag (Germany’s Parliament). They are aimed at reshaping the digital health landscape, demonstrating significant efforts underway to boost adoption, and preparing the health system for digital transformation.