How Infermedica helps digitize healthcare regions in Germany

Chantal Schmalkoke
June 14, 2023
... min read

Citizens in Germany are already digitally more advanced than many of the structures in the German healthcare system. The Bavarian Health Spas Association (BHV) has recognized this and is driving forward the digitization of healthcare in its regions with the Symptom Checker (part of Triage Module) from Infermedica. The BHV is thus becoming a pioneer of digitization in healthcare.

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The Bavarian Spas Association (BHV) and Infermedica join forces to digitize healthcare. Illustration by Łukasz Przywarty.

According to a survey, more than half of citizens first obtain information about complaints on the Internet before consulting a doctor. In addition, many hospital emergency rooms find themselves treating patients who would be better off in a family doctor's office or with a specialist. This shows the need for innovative solutions that empower patients to make better health decisions and thus help relieve the burden on the healthcare system.

As a leading digital health company, Infermedica specializes in AI-supported solutions for symptom analysis and patient navigation, and has developed a digital platform tailored to the needs of the region for the Bavarian Spas Association. In the presence of Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek, the BHV presented the model project at the Annual Conference of the Bavarian Medical Spas and highlighted the importance of the commitment of spas and health resorts toward Smart Health Cities. In a subsequent press release, the Bavarian Ministry of Health and Care also emphasized the importance of regional health offerings, such as medical spas and health resorts.

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Citizens increasingly want to take their healthcare into their own hands. With the Bavarian Spas Association, we provide our established Triage Module and connect it with regional physicians, other service providers, and healthcare offerings. The Symptom Checker included in the Triage Module is based on evidence-based data and the medical expertise of physicians, which is combined with artificial intelligence at Infermedica.

Jörg Weise

Head of Business Development DACH at Infermedica

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f.l.t.r Dr. Andreas Keck (Keck-Medical), Thomas Jahn (Bavarian Spas Association), Klaus Holetschek (Bavarian State Ministry for Health and Care), Marc Isop (Onlim), Jörg Weise (Infermedica).

On the Gesundes Bayern homepage, anyone suffering from symptoms of illness can have them analyzed online. After an extensive interview to discover type, duration, and a description of the complaints, the user receives a recommendation as to whether it would be better to consult a doctor or whether self-treatment is sufficient. Currently, the Symptom Checker (Infermedica’s Triage Module) analyzes causes on the basis of a medical knowledge database with over 1,600 symptoms, 840 clinical pictures as well as 300 risk factors. Thanks to the "Health Finder" and a chatbot, users can also directly find the appropriate specialist in their region. The Triage Module is part of the "Smart Health City'' project. The spa town of Bad Aibling is participating as a model city for the Bavarian Spas Association.

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This makes us a pioneer in digitization in the healthcare sector. Good digital services can help patients find the right medical care more quickly. They thus prevent lengthy waiting times in practices. The Triage Module is also a certified medical product that has been used over 13 million times worldwide to date.

Thomas Jahn

Director of the medical spa in Bad Aibling and Managing Director of the Bavarian Spas Association

The Bavarian Spas Association will expand the digital offering even further in the future. The aim is to offer this service in as many spas and health resorts as possible, emphasizes BHV Chairman Peter Berek.

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With a gross value added of almost 5 billion euros and 100,000 jobs in rural areas, our spas and health resorts are a strong factor in the healthcare industry. In addition, we also play a major role for the tourism in the location. A good one in four overnight stays takes place in a spa or health resort. That's why we want to ensure that digital offers such as the Symptom Checker (Triage Module) can be found on all the websites of our member resorts.

Peter Berek

Chairman of the Bavarian Spas Association

The example of the Bavarian Spas Association shows that digitization in the healthcare sector is also possible at the regional level and that the task of digital progress is not just directed at clinics and doctors' practices.

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