Innovations for more health

How should new technologies be assessed? Particularly in the health system the answer to this question is difficult, as developers, regulatory agencies, payers, policy-makers, hospitals, physicians and patients have at least partially contradictory interests and thus apply different criteria for the assessment.

With the MetaForum "Innovation in the health system" the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation research wants to lay the foundation for improved assessment processes. Together with all relevant stakeholder groups we want to develop a common understanding of the aspects under which innovations in the health system should be assessed, in order to finally provide treatment methods of highest possible value to the patients.

The initial series of conferences ran over three years, with the first taking place on October 11 and 12,  2007 in Munich and the second on October 16-17 in Berlin. 

Now, follow-up discussion events are carried out together with many partners in order to further develop and implement our concepts.

Precise steps towards realising the goals that we identified in the first and second MetaForum conferences have been elaborated during the 3. MetaForum 2009, which took place on June 9-10, 2009, in Berlin.

The final results can be found in our Memorandum 2009 "Innovations for more health" here.

Main contributors to the MetaForum conference 2009:

• About 100 participants from all sectors of health professions, patients and society.

• Introduction: Secretary of State Mr. Hartmut Schauerte
  (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology)

• Chairman: Prof. Dr. Kurt H. Biedenkopf
• Head of scientific programme: Dr. Bernhard Bührlen
• Prof. Dr. Ilona Kickbusch
• Prof. Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Schwartz

Chairpersons of working groups:

• Mrs. Andrea Fischer (former Federal Minister of Health), Berlin/Munich
• Prof. Dr. Jürgen M. Pelikan, Vienna
• Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dirk Henke, Berlin
• Dr. Thomas Reiss, Karlsruhe

• Final Statement: Secretary of State Dr. Klaus Theo Schröder (Federal Ministry of Health)



For more information, please contact  Dr. Bührlen. 

The Memorandum of the first MetaForum 2007 can be found here for download (English, 47 kB).

The results of the Munich event go far beyond the memorandum on dimensions of innovation. They were published in a book (in German language;  order print here or  download PDF here (686 kB).

The second MetaForum 2008 resulted in a Memorandum on Targeted Goals for Innovation in the Healthcare System.
The Memorandum can be found here for download (English, 52 kB).