What it’s all about
Digitalisation in the German healthcare system offers considerable potential for increasing the efficiency and quality of patient care. Nevertheless, the transformation is only progressing slowly, especially in medical practices. This is why there is an intensive debate on how the benefits of digital solutions for outpatient care can be quickly and systematically realised by GPs and specialists. The central starting point here is to overcome the scepticism and reluctance of practice owners by providing targeted information and concrete use cases. However, this attitude is only the tip of the iceberg. However, two fundamental problems remain largely unnoticed, which are an extreme obstacle to effective digitalisation: inadequate organisational and organisational structures and a lack of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge among doctors.
Reason 1: Inadequate organisational and organisational structures
In many cases, the organisational structures of German medical practices are based on outdated processes and structures that have not been fundamentally rethought or adapted to changing requirements over time since they were founded or taken over. However, these rigid frameworks do not provide a solid basis for the implementation of digital solutions, as they do not fulfil the dynamic and integrative requirements of modern technologies.
One figure shows just how profound this problem is: on average, GPs and specialists only implement around half of the best practice standard for practice management. This validated guideline describes all the regulations, instruments and behaviours that are essential in the areas of practice management, from planning, market research, organisation, management, patient care and marketing to controlling, in order to ensure that work functions smoothly even under changing requirements.
This low implementation rate means that digital solutions are often built on a weak foundation and therefore cannot fully realise their potential benefits. However, the effectiveness of digital tools is heavily dependent on the practice’s ability to integrate them seamlessly into existing processes and to train and support staff in their use. If this is not the case, digitalisation can even lead to a deterioration in practice performance.
Reason 2: Lack of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge
Another decisive factor is the often inadequate entrepreneurial understanding of many doctors. Most physicians are primarily trained in clinical skills, with little focus on business skills such as strategic planning and management. The majority of German doctors work without business plans or defined practice strategies. This is one of the reasons why they find it difficult to identify which aspects of their business could benefit from digitalisation.
Creating a digital strategy also requires a deeper understanding of how technological tools can improve practice processes and optimise patient care. Without this understanding, investments in digitalisation can seem aimless and yield lower returns than would be possible.
Conclusion
In order to successfully activate the benefits of digitalisation in German medical practices, it is crucial to change both the basic operational work in medical practices and to strengthen the entrepreneurial skills of doctors. Practice owners need to develop their businesses not only technologically, but also structurally and strategically in order to take full advantage of digitalisation.
A comprehensive rethink and targeted training in management and digital skills are therefore essential. This is the only way to ensure that investments in digital technologies actually lead to an improvement in practice efficiency and patient care.
R2049 