Figures say more than words: Over 3,000 US dollars per person. This is how much money Germany spends on healthcare each year. This is not enough to be among the top spenders. The US, which spends more than 6,000 US dollars on healthcare per citizen, remains in first place.

Even though Germans spend their money more conservatively in comparison, according to the German Federal Ministry of Health some areas in the healthcare sector are not working with each other. "The cooperation between general practitioners, in patient care staff at the hospital and rehabilitation programs at specialized clinics is not effective enough," states the Ministry on its website.

Higher life quality, lower costs

Innovative ICTICT

Information and Communication Technology. These two terms began to be combined in the 1980s to emphasize the growing convergence between the two technologies.

solutions such as Motiva can help improve the situation. T-Systems and Philips have combined their know-how from the areas of healthcare, technology and services to create the telemedical system. On the occasion of the 17th Annual European ICT Forum in Berlin, T-Systems will present its TV-based patient management system, which is already being used in the Netherlands for the care of patients with chronic illnesses. Doctors check and monitor the vital signs of patients suffering from heart failure via their TV at home, broadband connection and digital scales and blood pressure monitors. The goal is to avoid hospital stays, improve the patients' quality of life and reduce costs.