Kickoff for the EXPERT Innovation Project
With the aim of facilitating consultations on lower extremity injuries via telemedicine within an interdisciplinary expert forum, the EXPERT project—funded by the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) with nearly seven million euros—was launched yesterday evening. In addition to the UKM as the consortium leader, 33 hospitals from across northwestern Germany are participating in the project. The so-called Extremities Board is intended to facilitate accelerated and interdisciplinary treatment recommendations for complex fractures involving soft tissue.
The benefits for patients are clear: recovery times are shortened, and expert medical advice from universities is made widely available. At the same time, patients can receive care at local hospitals. Unnecessary duplicate examinations and treatments are to be avoided, and diagnostic and treatment standards established. In this way, the project offers small-scale answers to major, trend-setting issues regarding the future of medical care.
The kick-off event centered on a panel discussion titled: “Deficits and Problems in the Healthcare System – Solutions Through Innovation Projects – How Much Impact Can They Have?” to which the North Rhine-Westphalian state directors of the three market-leading health insurance companies—AOK Nordwest, Barmer, and Techniker Krankenkasse—were also invited. On behalf of the UKM, Prof. Michael J. Raschke (Director of the Department of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery) and Priv.-Doz. Dr. Steffen B. Roßlenbroich (Senior Physician in Charge of the Department of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery) are overseeing the project.