EIT Health Morning Health Talks

The autumn edition of EIT Health Morning Health Talks, hosted by DEX Innovation Centre as the EIT Health Czech Republic Representative, focused on one of the most pressing topics in medicine today: how to integrate artificial intelligence into healthcare responsibly.

AI is transforming diagnostics, patient care and research, yet it also raises questions of trust, ethics and responsibility. Experts from hospitals, startups and public institutions met in Prague to discuss how to balance innovation with safety and how to ensure that technology supports, rather than replaces, medical professionals.

Academic ecosystems as catalysts for innovation

The programme opened with Dr. Natalie Walsh from the University of Galway, who showed how a university ecosystem can turn research outcomes into successful startups and tangible benefits for society. She presented Luminate Medical, a MedTech company developing wearable devices for chemotherapy patients to help prevent side effects such as hair loss or neuropathy. Her presentation demonstrated that combining research excellence with an entrepreneurial mindset can significantly accelerate the journey from laboratory to bedside.

Following her, Dr. Markus Wolfien from TU Dresden stressed the importance of sharing clinical experience and treatment data among institutions to improve precision medicine. He noted that connecting insights from oncological boards across hospitals could help doctors choose the most effective therapy for each individual patient.

Ethics and trust at the centre of debate

The panel discussion, moderated by Jan Kubalík, CEO of DEX Innovation Centre, brought together Martin Tulis from the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL), Jiří Kuchyňa from Aireen, and Jan Martínek from the Regional Hospital Liberec. The debate explored how AI can support doctors in diagnostics and administration while maintaining ethical standards and patient data protection.

Martin Tulis highlighted the value of open dialogue about both the benefits and the limits of AI: he appreciated that „the discussion covered not only the positives but also the negatives, and that people today have realistic expectations. They can critically assess where AI can and cannot be used,“ adding that he looks forward to the further development of this technology. For Jiří Kuchyňa, the event stood out for its interaction with the audience. „It was inspiring to see how people across the healthcare sector perceive both the opportunities and the risks of AI. The discussion showed that awareness and openness are clearly growing,“ he said.

Jan Martínek, who attended Morning Health Talks for the third time, underlined the importance of connecting diverse professional communities: „I always appreciate the mix of perspectives. Meeting experts from hospitals, academia and public authorities is crucial because it helps find a common context and understanding across healthcare.“

Connecting perspectives for responsible innovation

Throughout the discussion, participants agreed that AI should be seen as a tool to assist medical decision-making, not a replacement for human expertise. Its potential lies in increasing efficiency, reducing administrative workload and enabling more personalised care – but only when implemented responsibly.

As several speakers pointed out, AI adoption requires much more than technical readiness. It depends on trust, clear communication between developers and practitioners, and strong ethical and legal frameworks. When these elements come together, artificial intelligence can become a reliable assistant in clinical practice, allowing doctors to focus more on what truly matters – their patients.

Towards smarter and safer healthcare

„Morning Health Talks are designed to bring together people from different sectors – hospitals, academia, startups and public institutions – to discuss real challenges and exchange solutions,“ said Helena Jurašková from DEX Innovation Centre. She added that „artificial intelligence is a great example of a technology that can transform healthcare if applied thoughtfully and collaboratively. Our role is to connect these perspectives and help turn innovation into real benefits for patients.“ By fostering collaboration between innovators, healthcare professionals and policymakers, initiatives like EIT Health Morning Health Talks continue to build the foundation for a smarter, more connected and patient-centred European healthcare system.

The spring edition of EIT Health Morning Health Talks, organized by DEX Innovation Centre as the EIT Health Czech Republic Representative, explored what it truly takes to implement innovation in healthcare. Under the title Innovating Healthcare Beyond Funding, more than 40 experts gathered in Prague to share insights, identify key barriers, and discuss how to better connect the development of new technologies with everyday medical practice.

No matter how advanced a healthcare innovation may be, its impact depends on successful adoption in clinical settings. This was the central theme of the spring edition of EIT Health Morning Health Talks, held on 22 May in Prague. The event brought together more than 40 representatives from hospitals, insurance companies, the Ministry of Health, universities, startups, and technology firms. Participants explored concrete ways to overcome the gap between innovation development and everyday healthcare practice.

Danish Insights: Implementing Innovation in Public Hospitals

The programme was opened by Brian Holch Kristensen from Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark. Through practical examples, he demonstrated how public hospitals can systematically implement innovations while collaborating with both patients and technology partners. He also presented the perspective of European investors on healthcare innovations in Central Europe, noting that what often stands in the way is a lack of clear demand and preparedness from healthcare providers.

Identifying Core Obstacles: Insights from Czech Healthcare Leaders

The core of the event was a panel discussion titled “What Does It Take, Besides Money and Grants, for Healthcare Innovations to Be Used in Practice?” The panel featured leading voices from key institutions: Markéta Foldyna Hellová (VoZP), Jakub Fejfar (AGEL Hospital Nový Jičín), Petr Foltýn (National Centre for Electronic Healthcare), Jakub Havlín (DIH DIGI2Health), Adam Gřunděl (Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic), and Jiří Pecina (MEDDI hub). Together, they identified four main obstacles: lack of time, low motivation to change, concerns about the impact on staff, and weak communication between developers and end users.

Emphasizing the Importance of Strong Ideas and Safe Solutions

As Markéta Foldyna Hellová (VoZP) noted, the discussion confirmed that there is indeed space for innovation in the Czech healthcare system: “Starting with innovation makes sense, and there is definitely room for it in the system. Even health insurance providers welcome innovative solutions. What matters is a strong idea and a safe solution that simplifies administration and captures attention.”

Startups as Catalysts: Bridging Innovation and Practice

Tobiáš Vybíral (HTG Medical) emphasized the importance of connecting startups with real-world practice: “Startups have the courage to try a new path, and events like these allow them to connect directly with the healthcare field.” He also stressed the need for collaboration across the system: “Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. You need to collaborate, understand people and their problems, and know who can help whom. It’s great to see events like this where different levels of the healthcare system can meet, find common ground, and support each other.”

This perspective resonated with many participants, who noted that early-stage companies often bring fresh perspectives and practical agility. However, without structured opportunities to engage with healthcare providers, their innovations can remain disconnected from clinical realities.

Fostering a Collaborative Environment for Innovation

The positive atmosphere of the event was also appreciated by Jakub Havlín (VTP UPOL / DIH DIGI2Health): “I really liked the friendly atmosphere and the participants, who were communicative and engaged. I was pleasantly surprised by how open the audience was to healthcare innovation. If I had to highlight one thing, it would be the startups. These are young companies with real potential to bring positive change.”

EIT Health Morning Health Talks: A Platform Driving Real Change

Once again, EIT Health Morning Health Talks confirmed their value as a platform that brings together key actors across the system. They help uncover what’s truly preventing innovation from moving beyond slides and pilot projects and into real-life use by doctors, nurses, and patients.

The autumn EIT Health Morning Health Talks, organized by DEX Innovation Centre (DEX IC) as the EIT Health Hub in the Czech Republic, focused on one of the most pressing topics in healthcare, how to introduce innovations in hospitals more quickly and effectively. Under the title Fast-tracking Innovation Entry in Hospitals, experts from various fields came together to share experiences, discuss challenges, and explore new ways to bring innovations into practice.

Innovation in healthcare is not just about technology but also about people, processes, and collaboration. The keynote speaker, Susie A. Ruff from Denmark, summed up the main idea: „Successful innovation implementation requires a combination of strategic leadership, openness to change, and long-term collaboration among all key players.”

Management as a Key Factor

Hospital management often plays a decisive role in whether innovations succeed. Antonín Hlavinka, Deputy Director of the University Hospital Olomouc, explained his institution’s approach: „We created a dedicated department for innovation and digitization. This step allows us to systematically evaluate and implement new technologies that can improve patient care and hospital efficiency.“ A similar experience was shared by Vendula Macháčková, Head of Science and Research at the Regional Hospital Liberec. According to her, it is essential to balance innovations with daily operations: „I have to weigh economic arguments against the needs of healthcare workers. The key is to show how innovations can improve efficiency and the quality of care. Doctors and nurses often don’t have time to think about changes, but when we show them concrete benefits, they become enthusiastic about innovation.“

Startups as the Driving Force of Innovation

Startups bring new ideas and technologies to healthcare, but they face many challenges. Martin Vantara, CEO of Bindworks, emphasized that successful innovations often emerge from direct collaboration with those who will use them. „Successful innovations often arise in collaboration with doctors and nurses solving specific practical problems. It is important that these solutions are not only useful but also easy to implement. If doctors or healthcare workers don’t adopt them, the innovation fails.“ However, startups face regulatory and financial barriers that can slow their growth. „Certification processes can take several years,” warned Vantara. „During this time, securing funding and strategic partners is crucial, but it’s not easy.”

Universities as Innovation Hubs

Universities play a key role as sources of innovation and technology transfer. Vendula Macháčková highlighted that collaboration between students and experts from different fields often leads to unique ideas: „Collaboration between students from various fields – from healthcare to economics and technology – brings inspiring results. One out of fifteen ideas can become a star that truly changes practice.“ Still, transferring innovations from academia to hospitals remains a challenge. Zdeněk Gütter, an expert from the Ministry of Health, stressed the need for better support for technology transfer: „Creating a functional environment for technology transfer is essential. Abroad, in countries like Germany, proven models such as DiGA already exist, and we could adapt them to Czech conditions.“

Barriers Along the Way: Legislation and Funding

One of the biggest problems in implementing innovations is legislative restrictions and certification costs. According to Zdeněk Gütter, the European Union is working on harmonizing rules to simplify this process: „European frameworks, such as the Data Governance Act or the European Health Data Space, can significantly simplify working with data and enable faster implementation of innovations.

However, we need to ensure that startups receive the necessary support during long certification processes.“ Startups like Bindworks still face a challenging reality. „It takes five years for an idea to become a reality that is approved and funded," said Vantara. „This process is demanding in terms of time, money, and patience. We need a system that helps startups survive this long journey.“

Moving Towards Modern Healthcare

The discussion clearly showed that implementing innovations in healthcare requires a comprehensive approach. Collaboration between hospitals, startups, universities, and public authorities is key to success. As Zdeněk Gütter summarized: „Safety, effectiveness, and transparency are the foundation of every innovation. If we want to stay competitive in Europe, we must create an environment that not only allows innovations to emerge but also quickly brings them into practice.“ These words underline the importance of connecting key players across sectors, which is crucial for effectively introducing new solutions into healthcare practice. „Innovations succeed only when the right people and institutions are connected. At DEX Innovation Centre, as the EIT Health Hub, we create opportunities for such connections through events like EIT Health Morning Health Talks or by collaborating with hospitals and mapping their needs,“ concluded Helena Jurašková from DEX Innovation Centre.

The June 2024 EIT Health Morning Health Talks, organized by DEX Innovation Centre, the EIT Health Hub for the Czech Republic, attracted approximately 40 representatives from hospitals, public institutions, healthcare companies, and start-ups. The meeting, entitled "Open Innovation in Healthcare: Innovators ↔ Challengers", provided a space to share experiences and discuss advanced innovations in Czech healthcare.

The event kicked off with best practice examples from Denmark and Finland, presented by international speakers Rasmus Thomsen (Roche, DK) and Timo Alalääkkölä (OYS, FI). "We want to help start-ups find ways to succeed in the healthcare system, show them funding opportunities and access to investors," said Jan Kubalík, moderator of the panel discussion and representative of the DEX Innovation Centre.

Panelists Jana Trdá (VR Vitalis), David Kolář (Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry), Petr Müller (Masaryk Oncological Institute), Jan Faflík (Tensor Ventures), and Jiří Fusek (Prague.bio) discussed strategies, partnerships and challenges in open innovation in healthcare.

Opportunities for Collaboration Between Startups and the Healthcare Sector

David Kolář highlighted that pharmaceutical companies are actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with startups. "Startups must establish a presence in the pharmaceutical industry, communicate openly, be assertive, and leverage the association for connections."

The importance of personal meetings between representatives of startups and the healthcare sector was emphasized by Petr Müller from the Masaryk Oncology Institute. "Face-to-face meetings are crucial for both parties," he said. "Platforms like EIT Health Morning Health Talks offer a valuable opportunity for direct engagement and discussion on challenges and solutions."

Investing in Disruptive Technologies

From the investment fund Tensor.Ventures, Jan Faflík presented his vision of investing in deep tech startups. He stated, “We are looking for startups in the deep tech area, which is broad but encompasses all companies working on deep technologies. We enjoy investing in disruptive things that can change industries and have a significant impact on people's lives, such as healthcare and build tech.”

Virtual Reality in Patient Rehabilitation

Jana Trdá, CEO of VR Vitalis shared successes in using virtual reality for patient rehabilitation. “When patients exercise with virtual reality, they exercise much more and for much longer. Because they do not see their own body in virtual reality, they can achieve a much greater range of motion than without virtual reality. All of these factors - patients exercising faster, more and better - contribute to quicker recovery, which in turn reduces the strain on the healthcare system," says Trdá.

Challenges and the Future of Innovations in Healthcare

The EIT Health Morning Health Talks provided a platform for sharing experiences and also brought new perspectives and inspiration for the further development of Czech healthcare through innovation and collaboration between start-ups, pharmaceutical companies, and public institutions. David Kolář concluded the discussion by saying that "it is important to see innovation in healthcare not as a cost, but as an important investment in the future of healthcare, and the state should be the main driver of this trend".

Odborníci z oblasti inovací ve zdravotnictví sdíleli své zkušenosti a hledali možnosti využití perspektivních nápadů na akci EIT Health Morning Health Talks, kterou uspořádalo DEX Innovation Centre jako EIT Health Hub v České republice. Letošní setkání přivedlo do Prahy 45 zástupců nemocnic, veřejných institucí, zdravotnických firem a startupů. Zahraniční hosté, Ing. Ewald Unger z Medical University of Vienna a Dr. Karen Law z Health Tech Enterprise, představili systém podpory inovací v britském prostředí NHS a přinesli cenný pohled na to, jak nasměrovat nové myšlenky k realizaci.

Ewald Unger zdůraznil důležitost propojení výzkumu a praxe v procesu inovací. Spolupráce lékařů a výzkumníků v Medical University of Vienna probíhá doslova pod jednou střechou a právě díky tomu je převod inovativních nápadů do praxe mnohem pružnější. Cesta od primárního konceptu po finální produkt, připravený ke vstupu na trh, je založena na pečlivém ověřování a spolupráci napříč odděleními, včetně oddělení zaměřeného na ochranu duševního vlastnictví. Takto nastavený proces přináší silné partnery pro univerzitu a nové možnosti pro lékaře a pacienty. Užitečné tipy a postřehy z oblasti ochrany duševního vlastnictví a komercializace doplnila Dr. Karen Law, která je profesionálkou v této oblasti a má více než 15 let zkušeností s vedením identifikace, hodnocení, ochrany, vývoje a komercializace inovací vyvinutých vědci a lékaři. Její přednáška byla inspirací pro všechny, kdo se snaží přenést zdravotnické inovace z laboratoří do klinické praxe a na trh.

Spolupráce výzkumných organizací s inovativními firmami

Během panelové diskuze, kterou provázel Pavel Nevický z agentury Deloitte, se představilo 6 zástupců významných institucí českého zdravotního sektoru.

Klíčoví odborníci z Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové, Oblastní nemocnice Mladá Boleslav, Rehabilitačního ústavu Kladruby, Národního institutu duševního zdraví, Ministerstva zdravotnictví a Karlovy univerzity přednesli několik příkladů dobré praxe, ale i výzev a překážek, které s sebou komercializace inovací v systémech veřejného zdravotnictví přinášejí. Karel Valeš, vedoucí kanceláře transferu technologií Národního ústavu duševního zdraví k tomu poznamenal: „Především musím říct, že vysoce oceňuji spolupráci s dalšími výzkumnými organizacemi i inovativními firmami. Je to proces, který je v zásadě nový, což je na tom úžasné, protože dělat nějakou novou užitečnou věc je jistě přínosné pro všechny. Většina našich projektů je interdisciplinární, spolupracujeme jak s chemickými ústavy, tak s technologickými univerzitami, a v zásadě si bez této spolupráce nedovedu ani aplikovaný výzkum a následně transfer technologií vůbec představit. Je to jeden z pilířů naší aktivity."

Klíčová role v oblasti ochrany duševního vlastnictví a vyhledávání finančních zdrojů

Fakultní nemocnice, které se zaměřují na podporu vědy a výzkumu, se v procesu komercializace významně opírají o svá oddělení pro podporu výzkumu a

Healthcare needs change. On the positive side, healthcare experts are open to change and want to collaborate.

There is a need for innovation, changes in education, connecting needs and solutions, sustainability of funding and staffing, as well as healthy longevity or open data. The spring 2023 EIT Morning Health Talk edition in Prague offered a range of topics discussed by representatives of major organisations and companies from the Czech healthcare ecosystem.

The event was attended by more than 50 guests from different areas of healthcare. In addition to the panel discussion and round table debate, the main objective of the event was to share experiences across healthcare organisations with an overlap into the European space.

Representatives of hospitals, the Ministry of Health, Longevity Tech Fund, Linet and Roche presented their views on collaboration in healthcare, especially where to get changes, innovations or move specific things forward. There was also a view from abroad - Jérémy Martin, Enabling Omnichannel & Growing efficient innovator within Healthcare, was the keynote speaker.

"The problems are too big to be solved by just one organisation. To overcome this problem, we need to enable collaboration within the healthcare ecosystem by building trust (being more accessible, more visible), identifying small friction points and "Walking the talk" (partnering with new partners; going out and attending events, learning new ideas)," Jérémy Martin outlined possible solutions. His personal vision is to aspire to create a space where anything is possible and people work cohesively together to generate valuable insights and viable solutions to pesky challenges.

The meeting and discussion of experts brought together a wide range of topics that are key to successful collaboration in the healthcare sector. One of the main topics was the necessary changes through innovation. The healthcare sector is often considered rigid in terms of innovation. However, it is clear that bringing in new perspectives, technologies and practices is essential to make progress. Discussants agreed that despite technical, financial and time barriers, it is important to look for opportunities and encourage innovation even in a regulated environment.

"If we come up with an innovation, a complete novelty, it is not always easy and, for example, easy for physicians to grasp. Healthcare is a complex and regulated system and not everything can be implemented immediately. It is necessary to be patient, otherwise we will not achieve changes," says Vendula Macháčková, head of the science and research department at the Regional Hospital in Liberec.

During the discussion, the challenges facing the healthcare sector were also discussed. The representatives agreed that it is necessary to follow trends not only in the Czech Republic but also abroad. It is important to look for and support innovators and pioneers among doctors who have the desire to do things differently and bring new app

Collaboration is the key to success in the health innovation ecosystem. But how do you establish and maintain strong relationships with different stakeholders, especially healthcare providers? How do you overcome the challenges and barriers that may arise in the process of collaborative innovation in healthcare? And how do you leverage the opportunities and benefits that come from working together towards a common goal?

If you want to find out the answers to these questions, you should attend the EIT Morning Health Talk on 21. 6. 2023 at the EIT Health Hub in Prague. This event is designed to provide you with valuable insights and practical tips on relationship development and management in the health innovation ecosystem. You will hear from experts and practitioners who have successfully collaborated with different partners in healthcare innovation projects.

You will also get the chance to network with other health innovation enthusiasts and professionals and discover the latest trends and developments in this field. This is a unique opportunity to connect with the EIT Health community and learn how to enhance your collaboration skills in healthcare innovation.

Discover more details about this event and the past editions.

1144 participants, 87 stories, 27 local events

The story of Morning Health Talks began in 2019 in Budapest, where it was launched as a high-level business breakfast event to promote EIT Health RIS among key decision-makers in these countries. Since then, the initiative has expanded to other EIT Health RIS countries and has focused on addressing specific healthcare challenges and exploring potential solutions in each local context. In 2022, the initiative tackled two important topics: hospital engagement in innovation and digital health applications DiGA. The local events were complemented by international opening events that brought together experts and stakeholders from different countries. The outcome of these talks was the publication of the report "Towards harmonised EU landscape for Digital Health", which mapped the national digital health ecosystems and identified the current capabilities for introducing a shared European approach to DTx - Digital Therapeutics.

Not just in Prague

EIT Morning Health Talk is a series of events that take place in more than 13 regions across Europe, where key opinion leaders, policymakers, public institutions, innovators, start-up leaders and founders, investors and healthcare professionals come together to discuss some of the most pressing healthcare challenges faced by European systems, such as:

Healthcare system transformation, AI in healthcare, Value-Based Healthcare, Data donation, Cybersecurity, and hospital engagement.

Discover more details about this event and the past editions.

Morning Health Talk regularly opens a public debate with representatives of the Czech healthcare sector. At the meeting on 8 November at the Prague Hub, over 40 professionals from various healthcare organisations met to discuss the topic "Engaging hospitals in healthcare innovation". Morning Health Talk event was traditionally organised by DEX Innovation Centre, the Czech EIT Health Hub. Morning Health Talk regularly opens a public debate with representatives of the Czech healthcare sector.

Czech hospitals are significantly involved in the journey towards better and higher quality. They play an important role in the adaptation of innovation and the transformation of Czech healthcare to digitalisation. Hospitals know the clinical needs and own the necessary data. In terms of real practice, they have limited financial resources, as well as medical and other staff capacities.

"*Motivation for innovation in hospitals is currently improving, but it can still be said to be insufficient*," the panelists said in unison. What is missing, they say, is sufficient support for innovation, which is the key to success. If key managers grasp this as an opportunity, the community of innovators in Czech hospitals will grow.

The organizers of the event from DEX Innovation Centre presented successful case studies from abroad: Israel and Finland, who are among the drivers of successful implementation of healthcare innovation and positive impact on the entire ecosystem in their countries.

Israel, and later Finland and other Nordic countries, started by setting up dedicated innovation units and developing collaborations with other actors. Thus, private-public partnerships started to emerge. The Israeli hospital Sheba Medical Center started commercializing and creating spin-off companies with the aim of influencing not only their institution but the whole ecosystem globally.

Finland has introduced a model where university hospitals act as innovation platforms based on the needs of individual hospitals (including the organization of innovation competitions, evaluation of ideas, processes for idea development and co-creation). The co-creation model has been put into practice with economic support from public regional funds, including validation of proposed solutions.

A vision for the EU health sector towards 2030

In the morning panel discussion, participants talked about the real operational challenges in implementing innovation as well as the future vision of the European healthcare system. They discussed what the biggest problems hospitals are facing and whether an internal or external innovation procedure is better and why.

"*I think the EU healthcare system is going to be after the big bang. There is going to be a NIS system to link all European health systems together. This will be a tough test from which the European and Czech healthcare will recover,"* says Ing. Peter Mešt'aník, Deputy for Informatics at the University Hospital Brno.

Despite th

At the EIT Morning Health Talk event, representatives from public institutions, start-ups and insurance companies came to HubHub Palace to discuss the future of digitalization of the Czech healthcare system.

"Digital transformation means a comprehensive change of processes in public administration," experts agree.

Jan Wolf from the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, Petr Raška from IKEM, health and social consultant Jiří Schlanger, Jiří Pavlíček, CEO of Aspironix, Tomáš Doležal, CKO of Medevio, iHETA and Jan Šomvársky CEO of Vitadio discussed how to successfully digitalize the health system in the Czech Republic.

In neighbouring Germany, the so-called Digital Health Applications system is in operation. DiGA (in German: "Digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen") opens up a wide range of possibilities, both regarding the diagnosis and treatment of diseases as well as supporting a self-determined, healthy lifestyle. Thus, we can consider DiGA to be "digital assistants" in the hands of the patient.

The Czech Republic has a different system, not as flexible as Germany, but certainly not unfavourable to digital innovation. According to the speakers at the EIT Morning Health Talk, we are ready, new entities and digital applications can enter the Czech healthcare system from 2019. The German one is more flexible, the Czech one is set up on vouchers. As in Germany, assessments and relevant studies have to be proved anyway.

The Czech company Vitadio creates digital therapeutics for type 2 diabetes. Vitadio is the only foreign entity to have successfully joined the German DiGA system. "The digitalisation system certainly has the potential to increase the incentive for innovations to enter the Czech healthcare system and to increase the willingness of private investors to support these innovations. Most importantly, DiGA can improve the quality of care and save health insurers money," says Jan Šomvársky, CEO of Vitadio.

Exactly why to take such a step and how to make digitalization as easy as possible was also discussed at the EIT Morning Health Talk. Many representatives of health insurance companies, the ministry and the public sector are concerned about the change in the system towards digitalisation, but all agree that processes need to be set up and the system can work. In the aforementioned Germany, there are 31 digital apps involved in the DiGa system, all focused on helping patients. Doctors can prescribe them to patients and they are covered by public insurance.

"The Czech Republic is not a completely open environment for innovators. The world is speeding up and we need to accelerate the healthcare system and allocate finance better in line with it. The current situation is not intelligent. Everything is negotiated between the provider and the insurance company and it is not transparetic. And we have to set it up differently," says Jiří Schlanger.

Nobody wants to risk a bad digitalisation and spend a lot of money in it. But soon we will have

The digitization of health care has been talked about for many years. Its goal is an effective way to improve the quality of treatment and patient care. It can be done in various ways. The first option is a centralized approach, requiring a large investment. The second option is decentralized, slower and based on the needs of patients, doctors and other health professionals. Experts on digitization and innovation presented their experience during EIT Health Morning Health Talks 2021 series, which is organized in the Czech Republic by DEX Innovation Centre.

In the US, between 2009 and 2020, 98% of hospitals were centrally digitized. The government has set aside $ 36 billion for digitization. The so-called EHR system (electronic health record) is a digital version of a patient's file and thus allows authorized physicians to view medical records independently of the department or location. “Despite successful digitization, doctors face a number of problems,” says Josef Dvořák from the innovation agency Direct People. There are many EHR systems and they often cannot communicate with each other. “Apart from the mutual incompatibility of systems, there is also a problem with the administrative burden. Doctors spend up to half of their time entering data into the system. Other problems add to the bureaucracy, such as false alarms and potentially fatal system errors when ordering medication. As a result, EHR contributes significantly to the burnout syndrome of medical staff,” adds Dvořák.

EHR systems should serve people, address their needs and, above all, make work easier. If digitization focuses only on technology, the result may be unsatisfactory. All digital tools and systems should be created in cooperation with end-users, which is confirmed by Tomáš Vavrečka from Phillips. “Customer needs are at the heart of our strategy,” he says. In this way, a system can be created that is sufficiently simple and usable in medical practice.

Sofia Couto da Rocha, head of the Transformation and Digital Innovation project in Lusiadas Saúde, Portugal, has a similar view. “Digital transformation is always about people. Unfortunately, this is sometimes forgotten.” The decentralized digitization of health care was accelerated, among other things, by the COVID-19 pandemic. “People were afraid to meet and we registered increased demand for online medical services and consultations. In just seven days, we developed the #TodosPorUm application, which during the pandemic evaluated the user's symptoms on the basis of a questionnaire and, if necessary, referred him to medical staff,” adds da Rocha. Almost 400,000 queries passed the application and the functionality of the chat was ensured by 3,800 paramedics. And what is going to happen after COVID-19? “I hope that diagnostic services will expand beyond COVID and that digitization will go beyond telemedicine,” says Teigu Schutte, Mobiguity.

In the Czech Republic, we can mention the open-source application zScanner as an example of good practice. zScanner is an application available on Google Play for private phones of doctors and nurses and provides fast, easy and secure clinical photo documentation (e.g. documentation of wounds and subsequent treatment). Thanks to the use of their own devices, the application was easily accepted by healthcare professionals.

Data security is one of the most important aspects of digitization. “Innovators and technology providers must design their tools with patient privacy in mind. The protection of personal data from the very initial design is not only a competitive advantage, but it has also become a condition,” says Ioana Stupariu, Privacy Expert, Healcloud.

The goal of digitization should not be digitization itself, but easier work of doctors and other health professionals, who will be able to work with the help of their tools (smartphones), to which they are accustomed. Successful digitization is one that is easy, technologically secure, user-friendly and does not require high investment.