European Health Care Conference

 

Invitation of Professor Dr Norbert Klusen to the European Health Care Conference in Hamburg, 20 May 2011.

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Prof. Dr Norbert Klusen
I am delighted to announce that in 2011 WINEG (Scientific Institute of TK for Benefit and Efficiency in Health Care) and TK (Techniker Krankenkasse) will host the second European Health Care Conference, in cooperation with EHMA (European Health Management Association) from Brussels, here at our headquarters in Hamburg.

 

This time the conference will focus on health care in England as compared to Germany. In other words: if Bismarck and Beveridge had met what would they have learned from each other? The aim is to bring together expert observations on approaches to fund allocation and health services provision in the English NHS (National Health Service) which could improve quality and efficiency in German health care – and vice versa. After a period of intensive interchange of expertise with e.g. the English NHS, the Department of Health and The Nuffield Trust in London we realised how different the situation in health care is in Germany, but at the same time how similar it is in some aspects. As both EU member states face difficult economic times and crucial health policy changes - on a national as well as on an European level - it becomes increasingly important to share experiences and ideas across the channel.

 

Three years ago at our first European Health Care Conference in cooperation with EHMA nearly 300 participants from 19 countries (including non-European countries like the US, Mexico, Russia and Nigeria) had the opportunity to follow the inspiring debate of leading experts from academia and from the field in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany.

 

In 2008 the conference reflected on the theme of „The Future of European Health Care Systems“, fostering the sharing of knowledge about health policy issues between six EU member states. Moreover TK sought to generate a platform for the international discussion of the considerable changes in German health care caused by the health care reform in 2009.

 

The 2008 conference was a real success: with the speakers, the participants and the press seeing the conference as an important contribution to the national and international health policy debate. The new findings also enabled TK to give German and European health policy fresh impetus for the benefit of its insurants. Therefore, TK and its WINEG decided to establish a regular conference series.

I hope this time you will benefit from the Anglo- German dialogue in health care which we are currently preparing for you.

Looking forward to seeing you here at the conference on 20 May 2011!

 

 

Prof. Dr Norbert Klusen

Chairman of the Board of Management of Techniker Krankenkasse