Digitalization in healthcare continues to progress steadily. At the same time, the challenge of making efficient use of large volumes of unstructured health data is increasing. This is where the new partnership between Averbis and Meierhofer comes into play. While Meierhofer, as an established provider of hospital information systems (HIS), supplies German hospitals with robust software solutions, Averbis contributes its expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) to structure and process medical data. Together, the two companies aim to develop AI-based functions designed to support documentation-intensive and administrative processes.

In this interview, we speak with Matthias Meierhofer, CEO of Meierhofer AG, about the background of the partnership, opportunities for healthcare, and his vision for a digital future.

Mr Meierhofer, Meierhofer AG has been a leading provider of hospital information systems for many years. What challenges do you currently see in everyday clinical work, particularly with regard to documentation and administrative tasks?

Everyday clinical work involves a large number of administrative activities that place a significant burden on physicians and nursing staff. In particular, documenting medical services is often time-consuming and leaves less time for direct patient care. With our solutions, we aim to support these processes and make them more efficient through the use of digital tools.

The partnership with Averbis now brings artificial intelligence into the picture. What motivated you to take this step?

We see considerable potential in using AI technologies to automate routine tasks. Meierhofer integrates artificial intelligence with the aim of supporting hospital staff in organizational and documentation-related activities and, in the longer term, also in professional workflows. The expertise of Averbis enables us to integrate modern AI solutions directly into our HIS platform and thereby support the processing and analysis of health data.

Which specific AI functions are planned to support medical professionals? Could you give an example from practice?

We have integrated two solutions from Averbis: Medical Summary and Medical Dialog. Medical Summary brings together relevant patient information in a central view and presents it in a structured way. A timeline displays diagnoses, medications, and laboratory values, complemented by AI-generated free-text summaries. This supports healthcare professionals in gaining an overview of patient information. Medical Dialog transcribes conversations in real time and generates a structured summary. These data can be transferred directly into M-KIS, helping to reduce documentation effort.

How is Averbis’ AI technology integrated into Meierhofer’s existing HIS systems? Do hospitals need to expect significant implementation effort?

We place great importance on seamless integration. The solution is provided as a module within our existing platform, keeping implementation effort to a minimum. Healthcare professionals can access structured patient summaries directly within their familiar system environment.

Where can interested parties learn more about the new functions? Are there demos or opportunities to explore the solutions?

We will be presenting Medical Summary and Medical Dialog live at DMEA – Connecting Digital Healthcare from April 8–10 at Hall 5.2, Booth B-102. Interested visitors can experience the solutions on site and learn more about the AI-supported functions. We are also happy to arrange individual presentations after the event.

Looking five years ahead, how do you see everyday clinical work changing through the use of AI?

I am convinced that AI will significantly influence clinical workflows. Routine tasks are likely to become increasingly automated, allowing physicians and nursing staff to focus more on patient care. Artificial intelligence has two key dimensions: organizational support and medical applications. While organizational use cases can deliver tangible benefits relatively quickly, medical applications require particularly high standards in terms of accuracy, safety, and ethical considerations.

Finally, what is your personal vision for the collaboration between Meierhofer and Averbis?

Our goal is to build an innovative ecosystem over the long term that makes intelligent use of health data and supports everyday work in hospitals in a sustainable way.

Digitalization in healthcare offers considerable potential to support medical professionals in managing time-intensive administrative tasks. The partnership between Meierhofer and Averbis represents an important step in this direction. Through the use of modern AI technologies, hospitals can support more efficient processes. Physicians and nursing staff gain additional time for their core responsibilities.
 

We would like to thank Mr Meierhofer for the interview and look forward to following the further development of this collaboration.