events
Welcome to our events page for the Health Economics in Practice (GiP) and Health Care Management (HCM) degree programs! Here you will find an overview of exciting events, workshops and lectures that are organized especially for our students and interested parties. Our events not only offer valuable insights into current topics in the healthcare industry, but also the opportunity to exchange ideas with experts and make valuable contacts. Whether networking events, guest lectures by industry representatives or practice-oriented workshops - we invite you to actively participate and expand your knowledge. Stay informed about upcoming events and be part of our dynamic community!
Venturing into the future: launch of the dual Master's in Health Care Management
On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, the kick-off event for the re-accredited Master's degree program "M.Sc. Versorgungssteuerung im Gesundheitsbereich - Health Care Management" in its dual study variant took place in the auditorium of the HWG LU. Under the motto "Daring the future", education, cooperation partners and students gathered together to launch this innovative program.
The event began with a keynote speech by Michael Schaaf, Managing Director of hc:vision, on "Opportunities in a changing world". After addressing the existing challenges facing healthcare in Germany, Michael Schaaf moved on to the focus of his presentation: The view of a "young and optimistic healthcare market" inspired by new technological possibilities and the international exchange of ideas. He used a number of examples to illustrate the developments he sees that go beyond "tomorrow". He congratulated the students on their decision to take part in the innovative interdisciplinary Master's program in Health Care Management and invited them to get involved in these future fields. This would also make a contribution to securing the solidarity-based healthcare system in Germany for the future. This was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Dr. Jasmina Stoebel, which brought together both senior experts and representatives of Next Generation Healthcare. Current challenges and future developments were discussed from various perspectives. On the topic of AI and technology, the panel participants from the student group in particular pointed out the need to be able to use data effectively to further develop care services and to open up the technological possibilities for all professional groups. The discussion thus provided valuable insights into current trends and developments in healthcare management.
A special highlight of the evening was the scientific wine tasting with Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner, Professor of Food Technology and Oenology at the Neustadt Wine Campus. This unique combination of science and enjoyment rounded off the event and encouraged exchange between the participants.
"With the introduction of the dual Master's degree program, we are not only offering our students a sound academic education, but also the opportunity to gain practical experience in the healthcare industry," explained Prof. Dr. Petra Weber-Dreßler, Dean of the Management, Controlling, HealthCare Department. "We are proud to be embarking on this new path in healthcare management and look forward to the coming years of innovation and collaboration."
With this new degree program, the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society is taking an important step towards future-oriented education in the healthcare sector. Interested parties can now apply for the dual Master's program.
Further information on the degree program: www.hwg-lu.de/studium/master/versorgungssteuerung-im-gesundheitswesen
Contact:
Department of Management, Controlling, HealthCare
Ms. Christine Preis
Program Management
Phone: 0621/5203-192
Mail: christine.preis@hwg-lu.de
Health economic talks 2024
Practical insights from a successful conference on the future of hospitals
On November 8, 2024, the Health Economics Talks 2024 at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) provided a top-class platform for an exchange between science and practice on the future of hospital care. Over 100 managers and specialists from hospitals, health insurance companies, the private practice sector, the life science industry and other parts of the healthcare industry benefited from a wide range of forward-looking topics. Mr. Berner, Managing Director of Kinderzentrum Maulbronn gGmbH, summed up: "The content was highly topical in political and practical terms and scientifically sound. All the speakers were excellent. A really worthwhile event!"
Political perspectives and strategic fields of action
In his welcoming address, University President Prof. Dr. Piller underlined the importance of health economics for the profile of the HWG LU. Nicole Steingaß, State Secretary in the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health, then outlined the major challenges facing hospitals in her welcoming address and explained the state's position on the Hospital Care Improvement Act (KHVVG)
The aim of the conference was to broaden the view beyond current reform discussions and shed light on strategic fields of action. From the participants' point of view, it was particularly valuable to learn about implementation-oriented concepts for strategically relevant fields of action in addition to well-founded health policy analyses. In detail, the following thematic priorities were set:
- Strategic orientation of hospitals
- Medical process management
- Smart Hospital
- New work in hospitals
- Innovative care concepts for rural areas
Slides from the presentations and an outlook for the next Health Economics Talks in November 2025 can be found at this link: https://www.hwg-lu.de/studium/bachelor/gip/gesundheitsoekonomische-gespraeche
Networking and exchange
The conference offered numerous opportunities for exchanging experiences and networking. During the panel discussion and in the breaks, participants were able to talk to each other and to the speakers. The instructive and lively panel discussion on the topic of "The future of the hospital" was convincingly moderated by Elke Lehnert from the "Organizational Development" department of the Ludwigshafen Clinic management.
The conference chairs, Prof. Dr. Eveline Häusler and Prof. Dr. Elke Raum, see the concept of the Health Economics Talks confirmed: "Our mission is to provide professional impetus for sustainable, efficient healthcare and to offer an active network for cooperation partners in health economics at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and beyond. We attach particular importance to involving students - the specialists and managers of the future. It was therefore particularly important that, in addition to students of health economics, students from the fields of nursing and midwifery also took part and contributed to the discussion.
Guest lecture on Inspiring insights into international healthcare projects at the BG clinics (WS 2024/2025)
As part of Prof. Häusler's course "Healthcare systems in international comparison" at the HWG Ludwigshafen, Sebastian Kurras, Head of International Project Management at BG-Kliniken Frankfurt and a graduate of the Health Economics in Practice (GiP) degree programs, reported on his impressive projects in Ukraine and Madagascar.
Kurras described how a network of BG clinics and other hospitals is supporting Ukraine through training, telemedicine and the development of standard operating procedures. The students were particularly impressed by the use of mobile ward round robots, which enable specialists in Germany to participate directly in ward rounds in Ukrainian hospitals. In this context, of course, the question of IT security could not be left out: Here it became clear that a network completely separate from the regular IT infrastructure had been created in the participating clinics in Germany. Such robotic systems not only open up the possibility of supporting diagnostics and therapy on site in Ukraine, but could also contribute to ensuring comprehensive medical care in Germany. Another focus of the project is on further training: This concerns training courses for doctors on the traumatological care of war victims with complex injuries as well as further training measures for specialists in physiotherapy and occupational therapy in order to establish rehabilitative care locally. It became clear here that Germany is well positioned in the field of rehabilitation in an international comparison. In addition to acute aid, reconstruction in Ukraine is also a central focus: the hospital partnerships have created a network that should also contribute to the reconstruction of the healthcare system in the long term.
Sebastian Kurras also gave an insight into another project in Madagascar. He emphasized how important it is to think globally about health issues and to deal with the strengthening of rudimentary health systems in health economics degree programs.
Kurras' professional career illustrates the practical approach of the dual degree programs GiP: As a trained paramedic/emergency paramedic with several years of professional experience, he decided to study at HWG Ludwigshafen and found his way into international project management at BG Kliniken via BG Klinik Ludwigshafen. With his presentation, he inspired the GiP students to think outside the box and take on global challenges in the healthcare sector.
The BG Klinik Ludwigshafen has been a cooperation partner of the GiP degree programs for many years. It offers GiP students a wide range of opportunities for practical placements and many graduates have found a good start to their careers here.
excursions
Welcome to our excursions page for the degree programs Health Economics in Practice (GiP) and Health Care Management (HCM)! Here we present a selection of exciting excursions that offer our students the opportunity to gain practical insights into various institutions and companies in the healthcare industry. Our excursions not only promote an understanding of theoretical content, but also enable direct exchange with experts on site.
We are always on the lookout for new cooperation partners and welcome invitations from institutions interested in hosting us for a visit. If you as an institution or company would like to provide exciting insights into your work, please do not hesitate to contact us. Together we can create valuable experiences for our students!
Health economics meets medical technology: GiP visits leading medical technology provider Richard Wolf (01/2024)
In January 2024, the 7th semester of the Health Economics in Practice degree programs undertook an exciting excursion to Richard Wolf GmbH in Knittlingen, Baden-Württemberg, as part of the module "Health Economic Aspects of the Pharmaceutical and Life Science Industry". The company is a leading manufacturer of medical technology and offers innovative solutions for endoscopy and endoscopic systems.
The medical technology sector is part of the so-called industrial healthcare industry. It is strongly characterized by medium-sized companies and at the same time, with an export quota of around 67%, is strongly oriented towards the global market. There are very attractive employment opportunities for health economists, especially as increasing regulation in the area of market access is significantly increasing the need for personnel in this area. It was a graduate of the Master's degree course in Healthcare Management - HCM who made contact with Richard Wolf. She had already worked there during her studies and, as a "finished" M.Sc., is now responsible for a country portfolio that includes many Asian countries.
The students had the opportunity to gain an insight into the company's production processes and technologies. They were given a tour of the various departments and were able to experience first-hand how state-of-the-art medical devices are manufactured.
They also had the opportunity to talk to employees from different areas of the company and learn more about their activities and challenges, with a focus on market access issues. The practical insight into the working world of a leading company in the healthcare industry provided a valuable experience for the students.
Excursions to the GiP cooperation partner Roche Diagnostics in Mannheim (01/2025)
It is incredibly exciting, and also difficult for outsiders, to gain an insight into one of the world's largest and most innovative biotechnology companies - Roche Diagnostics. In the dual Bachelor's degree program "Health Economics in Practice" (GiP), students have the opportunity to complete one of their practical phases at Roche Diagnostics, one of the cooperation partners of the degree program, and thus gain important practical experience for their future careers and make contacts.
Ms Münch, a student on the GiP degree program, who completed her internship semester at Roche Diagnostics and has been working there as a student trainee ever since, organized an excursion for the students of her semester on 23.01.2025, during which they were able to get to know and try out various state-of-the-art laboratory lines. Lab automation at Roche Diagnostics consists of pre-analytics (sample preparation), analytics (sample analysis) and post-analytics (sample storage). The laboratory lines, with which blood samples can be analyzed, are used in laboratories worldwide, whereby regulation and sales models vary greatly from market to market.
Two different analytical systems (Cobas®pro and cobas®pure) were demonstrated as examples during the excursions. To start with, a team task impressively demonstrated the functionality of the "cobas®8100" pre-analysis system. The students had to carry out the individual work steps that the system performs themselves in groups using samples - water instead of blood, of course.
Roche Diagnostics offers these different systems as "stand-alone" or as complete automation for laboratories worldwide. In order to better understand the highly automated and complex automatisms and processes, the path that a sample takes from the patient's blood sample to the result that the doctor receives was traced. The systems automatically transfer all relevant data from the analysis of a sample to the connected IT systems. Of particular interest to health economists are the connection to the Hospital Information System (HIS) and the Lab Information System (LIS), the possibilities for integrating AI-based decision support tools and the impact of process automation on productivity. The range of tests to be carried out is very diverse. Hospitals, laboratories and medical practices can configure such a laboratory line according to their specific needs.
A total of three GiP students took part in the excursions, some of whom have completed practical phases at Roche Diagnostics and some of whom are still working there as student trainees. In addition to lab automation, GiP students also work in areas such as marketing/sales, market access and health management.