ICV Health Care Forum in Austria 2026

Healthcare Reforms, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Sustainability: The ICV Health Care Forum in Austria 2026, held in October, examined a wide range of challenges facing controlling and management. With a wide-ranging program, outstanding speakers, and the active participation of approximately 170 attendees, the event at the Vienna-Floridsdorf Clinic was a resounding success.

Once again this year, controllers and managers involved in controlling within the Austrian healthcare sector gathered at the ICV Health Care Forum Austria, which was once again held at the event center of the Vienna-Floridsdorf Clinic. Already during the warm-up event the evening before in downtown Vienna, numerous participants, speakers, and members of the organizing team gathered to exchange ideas in lively conversations and get in the mood for the next day.

The conference began with a panel discussion moderated by Head of the ICV Industry Work Group DDr. Dietmar Ranftler, during which Dr. Klaus Schuster, Group CEO of VITREA, Mag. Florian Pressl of the Vienna Health Network, and Director DI Herwig Wetzlinger of WIGEV/AKH-Vienna engaged in an engaging discussion about upcoming healthcare reforms and the associated challenges, as well as the application of artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector.

Dr. Klaus Schuster then provided a compelling demonstration of the differences in objectives, key performance indicators, and reporting systems among public, private, and privately held publicly traded companies in the healthcare sector, as well as the associated implications for controlling and management.

After the coffee break, which provided a good opportunity for networking, Univ. Prof. Dr. Guido Offermanns (University of Klagenfurt, Karl Landsteiner Society) spoke about the strategic development of University Medicine in Vienna and the necessary collaboration between the different systems of the university and the large hospital. Afterward, DI Ulrich Pieper of GÖK Consulting (Berlin) introduced the participants to the successful, modern, and more up-to-date OKR methodology for planned organizational change—including a comparison with the better-known Balanced Scorecard.

In the workshops held in parallel with the plenary session—both before and after the lunch break—Jarek Perotka of Ective Automation, together with Mag. Stefan Stoiber from UK St. Pölten, began by introducing the automation of processes in third-party billing using software robots. Alexander Thomasser from LKH Villach then gave a very practical demonstration of the economic and environmental benefits of sustainability in hospitals.

The lunch break, featuring the now-traditional culinary offerings, once again provided a great opportunity for informal conversation among speakers, participants, and exhibitors.

After the lunch break, Mag. Daniel Hentschel (Intuitive Surgical) and DDr. Dietmar Ranftler presented a contribution margin analysis that takes into account the specific circumstances of surgical programs, revenues, and costs as a basis for investment decisions related to robot-assisted surgical systems. Dr. Klaus Lugger from the IT consulting firm ATSP then spoke about the differences in hospital management between Switzerland and Austria and the specific characteristics of case-based cost accounting in the SAP environment.

In the final session, Stefan Pototschnig, MA, from the Rudolfinerhaus Private Clinic (Vienna) began by providing a deep insight into the scientifically grounded and reflective examination of quality and efficiency in healthcare. Finally, DI Andreas Pak (University Hospital LKH Graz) and Mag. Marlene Schranz (Medical University of Graz) reported on their experiences on the “Long Road to Common Metrics” as part of a joint project between the two organizations.

Before the summary and a review by the Head of the  ICV Industry Work Group, there was a ceremony honoring the winner of the controller-themed quiz held before lunch. The grand prize for Tanja Wippl, MA (BBS Vienna), included some sweets and a personalized book by Prof. Offermanns on process and resource management in hospitals.

The organizer expressed gratitude to the members of the working group who served as moderators—Mag. Michael Schwob, DI Jürgen Tiefenbacher, Dr. Johannes Painold, Mag. Stefan Stoiber, Mag. Rene Lambert, and Dr. Martin Reich—as well as to the entire organizing team. Also in attendance was the ICV Delegate Austria, FH-Prof. Dr. Peter Hofer.

The next ICV Health are Forum Austria will take place on September 23, 2027.

We would like to thank DDr. Dietmar Ranftler for the report.