Session 23

Governance models for digital health

What kind of framework is needed for long-term success?

Organised by Österreichische Gesundheitskasse

How can health systems, which stand for stability and are built on trust and security, meet the necessary agility to be fit for future challenges?

The pursuit of sustainable economic, social, and institutional development by bringing the state, civil society, and markets into balance is a continuous challenge in all sectors. Governance refers to the processes, practices, and systems that need to be put in place to create this balance. Recently, health systems have been confronted with the need to establish appropriate governance models to deal with disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence. Developing governance models is particularly challenging since health systems operate within the boundaries of an existing institutional landscape.

From the public health system perspective, the main goal of digital transformation must be to increase the quality and effectiveness of care, and to add value for patients, while simultaneously protecting patients' rights and their data. This results in tension for public institutions such as social insurances, as they try to balance enabling innovation with the mitigation of risks of new technologies.

This session will address the question of what kind of frameworks are needed to ensure that digital healthcare improve people's health in the long term and what the added value is for both individual patients and greater society.