ZEW Mannheim To Develop Research on Health Care Markets in the Digital Age
The ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research is expanding its research spectrum. The committee of the Joint Science Conference (GWK) of the federal government and federal states in its autumn meeting cleared the way for the application submitted by ZEW Mannheim for what is referred to as an extraordinary item of expenditure – in this case, a research programme focusing on the implications of the digital transformation for the analysis and the design of digital health care markets. This paves the way for an expansion of the Institute's activities by establishing an independent health economics research unit. A project group headed by Professor Simon Reif has already prepared the ground.
Baden-Württemberg’s Science Minister Petra Olschowski: “By expanding its research on health care markets and systems, ZEW Mannheim is strengthening the scientific basis for a future-proof health care system. This benefits not only health care provision in the Rhine-Neckar region but in the entire federal state. ZEW provides important impulses for a better understanding of economic interrelationships and for making well-founded political decisions. I congratulate ZEW on this strong move.”
The aim of the new ZEW research unit is to understand, evaluate and shape the data-driven transformation of the health care system. It plans to focus on the following three key topics: market structures in the digitalised health care system, new data-based remuneration mechanisms and the economics of health care data.
“These new opportunities will enable us to position Mannheim as a centre for health economics research. The decision of the GWK committee is a great success for ZEW. Our aim is to contribute to shaping the digital transformation of the health care landscape through empirical analyses and market design concepts and to help organise the health care system in a way that ensures long-term financial sustainability. We will make intensive use of the synergies with our Market Design, Digitalisation and Innovation research units," explains ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach, PhD. Managing Director Claudia von Schuttenbach adds: “The secured financing for the health care research unit is important for the entire institute. It means that we are in a position to pursue the strategic development of ZEW further and to increase our visibility, also at the international level, as an important player in shaping the digital transformation in the health care sector.”
