"Fit for change - analog therapy & digital future"

On November 16 and 17, the 7th Dresden Medical Law Symposium took place at the Saxon State Medical Association. This year’s overarching theme was “Ready for Change—Analog Therapy & the Digital Future.” The conference addressed various legal issues associated with the ongoing digitization of the healthcare industry. International players, such as the British online doctor “DrEd,” have, according to their own reports, already “treated” well over 200,000 German patients via the Internet. In May 2018, the German medical community also opened up to comparable forms of care. Although only a small portion of health care can be provided through telemedicine achievements, their growth potential is at least enormous. In total, the statutory health insurance (GKV) market generated well over 200 billion euros in revenue in 2017—and the trend is rising sharply. By way of comparison, it should be noted that this amount exceeds the nationwide income tax revenue for the same period. There are, therefore, many reasons to address the legal issues surrounding digitalization in the healthcare industry.

Professor Dr. Erik Hahn from the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management at HSZG spoke at an event hosted by Dresden International University, attended by over 100 participants, on the topic “Current Developments Regarding the Prohibition on Exclusively Remote Treatment — What Can a Physician Do Beyond Providing Consultation? — Accompanying Regulations and Their Significance for Medical Practice.” The discussion covered pressing current issues such as the necessary adaptation of pharmaceutical advertising law and discrepancies between medical professional law and pharmaceutical law.

Other topics covered at the event included “Ready for Change – Labor and Corporate Law for Medical Professionals,” “The New General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—Implications for Medical Practice,” and “Big Data: The Case of Biodata Banks.”

Some of the content from Professor Hahn’s presentation has been published in the current issue of the journal “Gesundheitsrecht.”