In October 2020, the German Hospital Future Act, or KHZG, came into force aiming at modernizing the digital infrastructure of German hospitals. As part of this programme, Germany’s Federal and State governments are investing up to 4.3 billion euros in the digital infrastructure of German hospitals. In 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Health commissioned the DigitalRadar consortium, initiated by HIMSS, to measure digital maturity of hospitals and to determine the effects of the KHZG funding programme.

After the first nationwide DigitalRadar assessment in 2021, a second assessment was deployed and provided important impetus for the further development of the German healthcare sector. The assessments show that digital maturity of German hospitals has improved significantly since 2021, with the average DigitalRadar score rising by 9.1 points to 42.4 points. The results provide hospitals with a sound basis for reviewing and developing their digitisation strategies and the federal and state governments for evaluating digital infrastructure measures.

"The results of the second digital maturity level survey make it clear that the direction is right and that substantial progress has been measured," summarises Prof. Dr Volker Amelung, consortium spokesperson for the DigitalRadar and CEO of inav. "There are clear fields of action for the further development of the digitisation of hospitals, be it in the further design of funding measures, the targeted support of smaller hospitals or the reduction of regional inequalities. But the path to a comprehensively digitised hospital landscape has been paved."

The current survey shows a clear trend among publicly funded hospitals, which continue to have the highest DigitalRadar score of all funding organisations with an average of 46.5. The assessment also shows significant differences in regional comparisons, with Berlin taking the top spot with an average DR score of 47.7. "These differences provide indications of where political control, targeted funding or supporting measures at state level can be particularly effective,” says Prof. Dr Sylvia Thun, scientific project manager of the DigitalRadar. The DigitalRadar thus remains a central steering instrument for a sustainable digital healthcare system.

No other country in the world has such a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the level of ditalisation in its hospital landscape. "In an international comparison, Germany is performing increasingly well and in just three years, German hospitals have been able to significantly increase their level of digital maturity," says Prof. Anne Snowdon, Chief Scientific Research Officer at HIMSS, adding, "Nevertheless, it is a clear signal of the potential of targeted investment in digital infrastructures."

The DigitalRadar interim report will be presented through an online webinar by the consortium and will be available on the DigitalRadar results website.