Why Barcamps, chaotic interfaces and an "IT puzzle picture" shape digitalization in healthcare – and how we find solutions together

I look forward to every KH-IT conference because the people here are simply special. The exchange is honest, the atmosphere warm and you immediately feel: Most organizers work voluntarily for this event. You notice this at every corner – the conference is organized with great commitment and attention to detail.

For the first time in the 30-year history, the organizers dared an experiment: three parallel barcamps were supposed to break up the classic presentation mode. "No money - more problems", "Medical device safety according to MPBV" and "LLMs (safely) in hospitals" – the topics alone showed where IT managers are feeling the pinch.

When willingness to experiment meets 30 years of experience

Andreas Lockau, the chairman of KH-IT, looked honestly at the association's current figures. What I appreciate: After three decades, the organization doesn't shy away from new formats. "We need to be braver in our exchange," an IT manager from Bavaria told me during the coffee break. "The problems are becoming more complex, so we need different forms of discussion."

Alexandra Heimel reported on the newly established working groups of the board – a clear signal that the association is taking a structured approach to the challenges of digitalization. The new managing director Bastian Stockhausen was also introduced, who moderated excellently and you can tell that the topics are close to his heart.

Startup Pitches: When innovation meets reality

The first day ended with the startup pitches – a format that clearly shows the gap between innovative ideas and hospital reality. Our founder René Herzer presented basebox – the Secure AI Stack for critical data. Every IT manager in the audience knows the problem: Hospitals cannot send their sensitive patient data to external services like ChatGPT or other hyperscaler solutions.

This is exactly where basebox comes in: Complete AI functionality including chat, search, document processing and transcription – without critical data leaving the hospital. Whether self-hosted or as a managed service, basebox gives clinics full control over their AI infrastructure back. ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant, independent of hyperscalers. Hospitals can finally use AI without compliance risks or data protection concerns.

The other startups showed the range of current developments: ubiteq with Conversational AI, Arietech with a backup system for the HIS, medicalvalues with AI solutions as approved medical devices, AI Health with an ecosystem for AI-based resource planning and CLINISERVE with a care process platform.

Congratulations to medicalvalues for their well-deserved victory! Their approach with approved medical devices shows how important it is not only to develop AI, but also to implement it in a regulatorily clean way.

Unraveling the "IT puzzle picture"

Prof. Ramin Assadollahl from the University of Lübeck gave a remarkable presentation on AI and Agentic Coding in healthcare. His statement didn't surprise me: He no longer recommends his 16-year-old son to study computer science – a sign of how radically AI is changing the industry.

Michael Kitzinger (DMI Health-Comm) and Gökhan Günyak (UK Mannheim) brought the challenges of data sovereignty to the point. Günyak's comparison of hospital IT with an "IT puzzle picture" was apt: "Everyone talks to everyone via their own interfaces." This chaotic starting situation was the reason why we developed the basebox Secure AI Stack. Instead of creating more isolated solutions, basebox offers a unified AI infrastructure for all applications.

"Creating a central repository for data is not only technically challenging," Kitzinger explained, "but also organizationally a mammoth project." Without a clean data foundation, every AI initiative is doomed to fail – this confirms our experience from numerous projects.

Between staff shortages and increasing requirements

An IT manager from northern Germany summed up the challenges: "We have increasing staff shortages, while at the same time the requirements for digitalization are continuously rising. Our employees spend too much time on repetitive tasks like document processing or searching for information in different systems."

This shows the added value of the basebox Secure AI Stack: AI can optimize these processes and relieve staff – but only when implemented safely and in compliance with regulations. "We need solutions that work and meet compliance requirements," confirmed an IT manager from Baden-Württemberg.

More than just professional discussions: Mountain park and Bavarian alpine hut

The KH-IT conference thrives not only on professional content, but also on personal exchange. After the conference, a hike through the UNESCO World Heritage Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe led us – perfect backdrop for relaxed conversations away from technical topics.

The evening at the Bavarian alpine hut with traditional food rounded off the day. "This is where the best business relationships are formed," said a colleague from Munich over roast pork and wheat beer. In this relaxed atmosphere, people open up and share their real concerns and hopes.

Digitalization must not fall victim to budget cuts

One thought occupies me even after returning: Digitalization in healthcare must not fall victim to budget cuts. The modernization push initiated by the KHZG already shows today how digital solutions improve processes, relieve specialists and strengthen care quality.

The message is clear: In healthcare, savings should not be made on digitalization, but with it. Contribution stability and digitalization belong together – the transformation process must be consistently continued.

For basebox, this means: We are on the right track. The conversations in Kassel showed where the real pain points lie and how we can develop solutions together with hospitals. The barcamp formats proved that new forms of discussion are important. After 30 years, KH-IT shows courage to change – and in healthcare, compliance comes before innovation, but that doesn't mean standstill.