Digitalization holds great promise in the areas of automation, big data and artificial intelligence (AI). The MedTech market is shifting towards a focus on connectivity and integration, moving beyond product-centric approaches. The tech paradigm shift is driven by advancements in technologies like AI, Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), and predictive analytics. The rise of new technologies is accompanied by the generation of a vast amount of real-time health data, leading to a paradigm shift in data. Health data combined with advanced analytics are key elements for the implementation of predictive, personalized, preventive, and participative medicine, an approach that will leave a mark onhealth delivery and significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Digital trends

Our markets are changing rapidly. This is particularly true with regard to digital trends in healthcare, which have been further accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeing increasing demand for new digital services along the entire value chain. Patients increasingly want to receive remote diagnosis and healthcare services on demand. Data-driven decision-making is increasingly integrated into everyday clinical practice, and the proportion of digital components in medical devices is growing. The associated cybersecurity risks also highlight the need for standardized and resilient IT infrastructures.

Digital processes and applications

We develop devices and applications in various medical fields to support ongoing digitalization, for example, in hospitals. These solutions not only have to be optimized in their core functions, but need to be embedded into the specific IT systems of healthcare facilities. To this end, we will continue to focus on increasing the share of software in medical technology and its application area.

Digital solutions are continuously being developed along the entire value chain to make internal work processes more efficient and simplify them. In various areas, such as compliance, supply chain, purchasing, and production, we are increasingly relying on intelligent automation and AI to improve business processes in administrative functions, e. g., by using chatbots, intelligent document processing, or recommendation and prediction applications. We have already implemented various solutions and identified potential savings that can be successively realized. Since September 2023, a chatbot has been supporting the global IT service desk, through which IT problems can be reported and, in some cases, resolved directly.

Innovation

The Fresenius Group sees innovations as a driver for aligning products and services with the changing needs of patients, for consistently improving them, and for continuously adapting them to the respective market conditions. The aim is to offer patients high-quality, safe, and innovative products on a global basis.

We pursue an integrated approach to innovation: it takes place along our value chain on key topics. Innovation leads to:

• Improved access to healthcare
• Modernization and digitalization in healthcare
• Improving treatment options through research, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence

In this way, we aim to strengthen our position with a focus on innovation in the healthcare sector, recognizing the importance of the services of our employees they provide to society.

We increasingly focus on the opportunities offered by digital solutions. Through innovative, safe, and user-friendly products and systems, we can further improve the quality and efficiency of treatments.

 

The safety of our patients is our priority, and it plays a central role in our management approaches. In our medical services, for example, disruptions in the process flow, such as natural disasters or technical failure, pose a significant risk to patients and the healthcare facilities. In addition, there are also operational risks, for example due to potential hygiene deficiencies.

We counter these risks through structured processes, training, and quality management systems, among other things, and work to continuously improve patient and product safety. Transparent information for the public is also part of our safety and quality commitment.

The application of the highest possible quality and safety standards, the effectiveness of products and service offerings, and adherence to regulatory assessment and compliance requirements are essential prerequisites to support our ambition: to secure long-term corporate success and enable the care of patients. To achieve this, we set ourselves specific targets in the business segments.

We have established sophisticated processes that are geared to the safety of our patients and efficient workflows. In quality management, we focus on monitoring, managing, and improving these processes performance indicators. Each business segment aligns its quality management individually to its business model and sets corresponding priorities.

Our quality management systems meet or are based on various standards. Internationally applicable standards such as ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) are particularly important for our production sites. In our clinics and healthcare facilities, we measure the quality of patient care using various indicators.

Hygiene management in hospitals

Hygiene management focuses on close monitoring of infections and pathogens, regular hygiene training for hospital staff, for example on correct hand disinfection, monitoring antibiotic consumption (available in German only), and training physicians as antibiotic stewardship (ABS) specialists. The implementation of and compliance with hospital hygiene measures in the clinics is accompanied and monitored by our specially trained staff - e. g., hygiene specialist nurses, hospital hygienists, and hygiene officers.

The clinics monitor their hygiene status continuously and transparently: every six months, Helios Germany publishes figures for each clinic on the occurrence of the three most important multi-resistant and infection-relevant pathogens (German language only).