The Federation of German Industries (BDI)
2025
Medical technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and digital health solutions can reduce costs in the healthcare system and thus contribute to the financial stabilisation of statutory health insurance. Our study for the Federation of German Industries (BDI) shows these innovations’ potential.
The German healthcare system is facing major financial challenges: demographic change, rising healthcare costs and economic uncertainties are putting pressure on the financing of public health insurance (GKV). What role does the industrial health economy, i.e. pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology and digital health solutions (e-health), play in this context?
On behalf of the BDI, we investigated how the industrial health economy can reduce costs and improve quality in the healthcare system through innovation. To this end, we analysed the efficiency potential in the sector and quantified its contribution to the sustainable financing of the GKV.
The savings potential is spread across the areas of medical technology, e-health, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The greatest savings are to be found in medical technology and through more outpatient rather than inpatient services. E-health solutions such as telemedicine, registry systems and AI-supported diagnostics also promise significant efficiency gains. In the field of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, innovative therapies, biosimilars and personalised medicine are reducing costs.
The potential savings considered, which relate directly to SHI benefit expenditure, currently amount to over 20.8 billion euros per year and will rise to 47 billion euros in 2045. The study models the potential in two scenarios:
In addition to the direct savings, the study highlights the economic effects of healthcare innovations.
These figures make it clear that investments in healthcare innovations make sense not only medically but also economically and make an important contribution to the future viability of the healthcare system.
To analyse quantifiable efficiency potential, we systematically recorded and evaluated around 80 examples from research, practice and literature. Of these, 21 examples were classified as sufficiently quantifiable and used as the basis for the scenario calculation of the effects on statutory health insurance financing. The scenario calculation was performed using the Prognos social security model OCCUR.
To the study (BDI website, in German)
Project team: Dr Oliver Ehrentraut, Markus Hoch, Paula Kostrzewa, Dr Stefan Moog, Hannah Staab, Hauke Toborg, Frederick Vierhub-Lorenz
Latest update: 22.01.2026
Senior Project Manager
Partner, Director, Head of Economics Division
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