In this interview, Werner Dorfmeister, a Vice President at DasLab and a former Global Sales Director at Karl Storz, reports on the current developments of digital technologies in the field of medical instruments and services. It is a sector where digitalization affects all processes within hospitals as well as pre- and post-surgical activities. Due to the many actors involved, who use different information systems, and the strong regulation of the entire healthcare sector, crafting digital solutions is complex, but nevertheless promising and necessary. Among the key areas mentioned in the interview are telemedicine, hospital and patient management and a sector-wide digital infrastructure. Digital platforms are described as important enablers to address current inefficiencies and to leverage future potentials towards patient-orientation, such as digital patient pathways.
Werner Dorfmeister was Global Sales Director at Karl Storz SE & Co. KG, a global producer of medical devices headquartered in Tuttlingen, Germany. The company was founded in 1945 and employs about 6′000 people today with annual revenues of approximately two billion Euros. Starting with the invention of the endoscope, Karl Storz has a long tradition in pioneering innovations in the fields of classical, heart and neuro surgery as well as gynecology and otolaryngology. The company is one of the largest producers of surgery instruments and has constantly enhanced its product portfolio with electronic devices and conceptualizing entirely integrated operating rooms. In March 2021, Werner joined DasLab GmbH, a German start-up company that focuses on the digitalization in the field of laboratory medicine. As Vice President Business and Partnerships, he is not only involved in the diagnostics of the Corona pandemic, but also investigates perspectives related to the “digital path” among laboratories, patients and healthcare organizations such as hospitals, physicians and insurance companies. Before joining Karl Storz, he was responsible for global solutions and commercial functions at the B2B services firm DXC.technology, which is a spin-off from Hewlett Packard Enterprises where Werner has worked in various positions since 2008. Prior to this position, he was sales manager at VMware and Microsoft. Werner has a degree in management with an emphasis in business informatics from the Donau University Krems and an MBA in media management from St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences in Austria. Since 1998, he is also a visiting professor at Donau University Krems and since 2014 he is a member of Electronic Markets’ advisory board. The pictures show him on the left followed by the interviewers Rainer Alt and Hans-Dieter Zimmermann.
Keywords: Digital patient pathways; Digital transformation; Healthcare industry.
© The Author(s) 2021, corrected publication 2021.