Visits to the doctor on the screen, the electronic patient file or the e-prescription: According to the consulting firm McKinsey, up to 42 billion euros could be saved in the healthcare sector. The potential has hardly been exploited in recent years. Many could benefit from this.
According to a study, the use of digital technology can reduce healthcare costs by up to 42 billion euros a year. According to the analysis by the consulting firm McKinsey, the greatest potential for savings comes from electronic patient files, more online consultation hours and appointments, as well as remote monitoring and remote support for chronically ill people.
“If used correctly, digitization can provide massive benefits in the healthcare sector,” said the co-author of the study, Stefan Biesdorf. “We’re talking about a €42 billion opportunity that everyone in healthcare could benefit from.”
The financial digitization potential has increased by around eight billion euros or 24 percent within four years, explained co-author Kristin Tuot. She referred to the previous study from 2018, for which McKinsey had estimated the financial potential of 26 available digital health technologies in Germany at 34 billion euros based on more than 500 international research documents. “Of this, only around 1.4 billion euros have been realized in recent years,” says Tuot.
The co-author of the study referred to experiences from the Corona crisis. The pandemic has shown, for example, that some technologies such as online consultation hours and online appointments have a significantly greater benefit than assumed in 2018.
For the study, McKinsey analyzed the potential benefits of 26 digital health technologies and summarized them in six categories. Online interactions such as teleconsultation or remote monitoring and management of the chronically ill significantly reduce the time required for patients and doctors. Another savings factor is the switch to paperless data processing, for example through electronic patient files and e-prescriptions.
Workflows could be accelerated through the mobile networking of nursing staff or the use of barcodes when administering medication. “Data transparency” could avoid double examinations of patients. The study also sees savings potential through “patient self-treatment”, for example through health apps or digital diagnostic methods. The “patient self-service” is also mentioned, such as online portals for making appointments.
