The Hospital Future Act (KHZG) of 2020 aims to modernize the digital infrastructure of German hospitals. To evaluate its impact, the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) commissioned the DigitalRadar Hospital consortium in 2021 to develop a model for measuring digital maturity. After a pilot phase, the first nationwide data collection took place in 2021, followed by a second in 2024. A total of 1,592 hospitals participated in the second survey. The average DigitalRadar score increased by 9.1 points (27.3%) compared to 2021, reaching 42.4 points. Public hospitals achieved the highest scores (46.5), while private ones scored the lowest (39.7). Larger institutions as well as teaching and university hospitals performed better than smaller or non-university facilities. The highest-rated dimension was Structures and Systems, while Patient Participation ranked lowest—though it showed the greatest relative improvement. Significant progress was also observed in medication management, information exchange, and IT performance indicators. Despite rising IT costs and improved broadband connectivity, there remains considerable potential for further development. As many funded projects were still ongoing in 2024, the concrete impact of KHZG funding can only be assessed in the final report after the third survey.

Konsortium DigitalRadar

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