How can digital solutions truly benefit patients? And what sustainable reimbursement models are needed to implement them in healthcare? These were the main questions at the second partner meeting of the EU project DigiH4A – Digital Health for All, where Maria Åkesson, Linda Bergkvist and Erik Wästlund took part.
“It was a rewarding meeting with presentations, workshops and a study visit to a hospital in Hamburg,” says Maria Åkesson, Senior Lecturer in Business Administration. “It was particularly interesting to see how the hospital uses digital tools for documentation and decision support.”
A model to promote healthcare innovation
DigiH4A consists of three work packages focusing on reimbursement models, market access and benefit assessments. Researchers at CTF are leading the work on benefit assessments and will develop a model to describe and compare the costs and benefits of digital health innovations.
“We are currently compiling existing reimbursement models, which provides the foundation we need for our model,” says Maria Åkesson. “The aim is that the final model will be applicable in all participating countries and clearly demonstrate the costs and benefits of digital health services and providing better decision-making support within healthcare..”
About DigiH4A
DigiH4A brings together universities, healthcare actors and innovation environments from the North Sea Region to accelerate the digitalisation of healthcare, with a particular focus on chronic conditions such as heart failure, COPD, mental health issues and chronic back pain.
Project partners include:
• Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences
• VITO
• HAWK University of Applied Sciences
• Karlstad University
• Central Denmark Region
• Hamburg Department of Social Affairs
• Innovation Skåne
• Sahlgrenska Science Park
• Biotech Santé Bretagne
“The project also enjoys strong support from organisations such as EIT Health, Danish Life Science Cluster and Euratechnologies – underlining DigiH4A’s potential to bring about real change in healthcare,” says Maria Åkesson. “Collaborating with so many different actors gives the project great strength. It feels meaningful to be part of an initiative that not only generates new knowledge but also improves people’s access to healthcare.”
The next partner meeting will take place in January in Lille, France.
Read more about the project:
