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Press release of the Competence Network University Medicine Baden-Württemberg e.V.

Computerwoche magazine's "CIO of the Year" award goes to the Baden-Württemberg university hospitals for their joint digitalization strategy

The magazine Computerwoche - Voice of Digital has awarded those responsible for the digitization strategy of the Competence Network University Medicine Baden-Württemberg e.V. - 4U in the category "Chief Information Officer of the Year 2022 in the Public Sector". 4U includes the University Hospitals of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Tübingen and Ulm, the respective Faculties of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine in Mannheim.

In the eyes of the jury, the collaboration between the Chief Information Officers (CIO) of the 4U locations is an outstanding example of what digitalization in the German healthcare system can look like: Patient-centered, secure and networked. The award was presented at a ceremony in Munich on October 14, 2022.

"Our aim is to improve the quality of treatment for patients, reduce the workload on our employees and cut costs at the same time. This is possible with big data and artificial intelligence approaches. This award proves once again that we are well on the way to exploiting the potential of digitalization," says Prof. Dr. Frederik Wenz, Chairman of the 4U Association and Chief Medical Officer of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg.

Cross-site digital solutions advance cutting-edge university care

Embedded in a cross-location process, data and system architecture, a unique immediate action program was launched with the support of the state. As pillars of data-driven digital medicine, patient-centered, secure and interoperable solutions were launched within a short space of time.

For example, a cross-location speech recognition platform based on artificial intelligence and a cross-location storage grid were introduced, which enables data to be stored and networked securely and in compliance with data protection regulations. At the same time, further measures were implemented to strengthen IT security.

"The joint approach has brought the participating university hospitals a big step forward. With the help of digitalization, we are getting ever closer to the ideal of knowledge-generating care," says Dr. Michael Kraus, CIO and Head of the Center for Digitalization and Information Technology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Digital documentation in real time, virtual meetings, video consultations for patients and many other digital solutions have already found their way into everyday life at the university hospitals. In addition to Kraus, Dr. Lennart Jahnke, Chief Digital Information Officer at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Robert Mahnke, CIO at Ulm University Hospital, Oliver Reinhard, CIO at Heidelberg University Hospital, Dietmar Schulz and his successor as CIO at Tübingen University Hospital, Martin Jackisch, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Martin Holderried, Chief Medical Information Officer at Tübingen University Hospital, played a key role in the project.

The joint approach of the various institutions in Baden-Württemberg was particularly praised at the award ceremony. The jury praised: "The healthcare sector has been in the spotlight in recent years and has shown that smart digitalization projects can create added value for everyone. 4U is an outstanding example of what digitalization of the future can look like in the German healthcare sector."