National Digital Health Symposium 2024: AI Transforms the Healthcare Sector

"AI technologies are about to bring a revolutionary paradigm shift to the healthcare sector, driven by the growing interest of tech giants," emphasized Prof. Dr. Joe Lennerz from BostonGene in his keynote. The regulation of AI will significantly influence its success. "What is needed is not overregulation, but a locally feasible implementation that can be safely implemented."

AI as a Game-Changer for Healthcare Research and Data Use

AI is fundamentally changing healthcare research and the handling of medical data. By analyzing large and complex datasets, AI opens new ways to make medical care and research more individualized and precise. "Data is the engine of future AI development and health data research," said Prof. Dr. Rainer Röhrig, chairman of the TMF, during the opening of the symposium. "High-quality, interoperable data is needed to unlock AI’s potential," Röhrig added.

AI not only enables in-depth analysis of individual health data but also uncovers new insights at the population level that were previously inaccessible. AI is the key to conducting effective research and clinical work in the face of constantly growing data and increasing complexity. "To harness AI’s potential, we need to explore existing data repositories such as Real World Data, ePA data, or data from registries," said Sebastian C. Semler, Managing Director of the TMF. "Furthermore, the legal framework for data access must be consistently further developed."

AI also has the potential to analyze individual health data in entirely new ways, improving direct medical care and treatment for patients. "Data-driven health research will become increasingly important in the coming years, and AI helps by reducing complexity to focus on the essential research questions," explained Andreas Klein, Ministerial Counselor at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

In addition, AI makes medicine more human again, as it can assist with administrative tasks and create more time for medical treatment, according to Prof. Dr. Felix Nensa from the University of Duisburg-Essen.

The experts at the National Digital Health Symposium are convinced that the current regulatory frameworks are key to future AI innovations. "The AI Regulation (AI-VO) and the European Health Data Space (EHDS) offer the potential to enable the secure exchange, use, and reuse of health data across the EU for the benefit of patients, researchers, innovators, and regulators," emphasized Dr. Anna Christmann, Member of the Bundestag (Alliance 90/The Greens). "The AI Regulation is an opportunity for the AI hub of Europe, not least because of its harmonized rules that strengthen the internal market. For this, it must be implemented in a legally secure, bureaucracy-reducing, and innovation-friendly manner," Christmann is confident.

"Politics should offer more support to companies and researchers in implementing legal requirements," urged Prof. Dr. Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, at the symposium. She noted that new laws often do not align with existing legal frameworks. "In general, regulatory uncertainties in Germany, such as those arising from the EU AI Regulation, need to be eliminated. Additionally, more risk-taking and greater competition for the best AI tools should be encouraged," stated Prof. Dr. Ariel Dora Stern from the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI).

Matthias Mieves, a member of the Bundestag, called for action to be taken with the laws that the government has put in place. "The Health Data Usage Act must be utilized to make progress. We have made many steps forward, and now we must implement it at the local level."