AI Holding Promising Opportunities in Healthcare Field – Medical Association Leader's View - Healthcare Sector Presidents See Significant Potential for Artificial Intelligence
Germany's healthcare system lacks coordination, according to Klaus Reinhardt, President of the German Medical Association. In an interview with ZDF's "Morgenmagazin," Reinhardt expressed concern over the lack of control in patient care, stating, "It is often not clear to patients where they are best treated."
Reinhardt highlighted the complexity of medicine and the importance of teamwork, explaining that patients are left to decide on their own where to seek help. He supports plans by the new federal government to introduce a primary care system, with patients initially visiting a general practitioner's office before being referred to specialist practices as necessary.
Reinhardt also sees great potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in increasing efficiency within the healthcare system. He believes AI could provide "unbelievable support" at various stages, from administrative tasks and staff management to disease recognition and ensuring therapies are appropriate.
In a recent position paper, Reinhardt emphasized that an electronic patient record (ePA) is a crucial platform for storing and exchanging health-related data. By adopting international IT standards such as FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) and IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise), he believes this data can be analyzed effectively using machine learning to reveal new patterns and associations for diagnosis and therapy. This not only supports documentation and information exchange but also establishes a foundation for future AI-supported applications in German healthcare.
The President of the German Medical Association has consistently advocated for improved patient care coordination, a goal that AI-driven systems could help achieve by streamlining workflows, reducing redundancies, and supporting decision-making for healthcare professionals. In Leipzig for the German Ärztetag, Reinhardt underscores the importance of adopting such technologies in driving greater efficiency, interoperability, and data-driven innovation within the German healthcare system.
- Reinhardt believes that the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the healthcare system could provide unparalleled support, streamlining administrative tasks, staff management, disease recognition, and ensuring therapies are appropriate – all crucial components in improving the coordination of patient care.
- In his position paper, Reinhardt emphasized the significance of electronic patient records (ePA) and the implementation of international IT standards such as FHIR and IHE for effective data analysis using machine learning. This approach could reveal new patterns and associations for diagnosis and therapy, supporting more informed and efficient decision-making in healthcare.
- As part of his support for community policy geared towards better coordination of healthcare services, Reinhardt advocates for the integration of science, health-and-wellness, therapies-and-treatments, technology, and artificial intelligence – especially in the implementation of the new primary care system, where AI-driven systems could help streamline workflows, reduce redundancies, and support the decision-making process for healthcare professionals.
