Innovation, sustainability and new perspectives in healthcare controlling

This year, the ICV Forum Health Care Austria once again provided a central platform for the professional exchange of information between controllers and managers in the Austrian healthcare sector. As in the previous year, the conference took place in the modern event center of Klinik Floridsdorf in Vienna and attracted around 170 participants.

Numerous guests, speakers and members of the organizing team (in the cover picture the core team of the work group from left to right: M. Schwob, M. Reich, D. Ranftler, R. Lambert, J. Tiefenbacher, E. Ortlieb, S. Stoiber, J. Painold) came together at the informal warm-up in Vienna’s city centre the evening before to exchange ideas and get in the mood for the event in a relaxed atmosphere.

Impetus for innovation in the healthcare sector

The forum was opened by work group leader DDr. Dietmar Ranftler, who also moderated the introductory panel discussion. Dr. Elisabeth Bräutigam (Managing Director of the Lower Austrian Health Agency, center), Dr. Gabriele Kornek (Medical Director of Vienna General Hospital, left) and Dr. Thomas Czypionka (Institute for Advanced Studies, IHS) discussed “Innovations and trends in healthcare”. The experts highlighted current developments and challenges in the area of conflict between medical progress, economic efficiency and structural change.

Focus on the LKF Model 2025 and sustainability

Dr. Gerhard Renner, long-standing project manager of the LKF Group at the Federal Ministry, then provided an in-depth insight into the fundamental changes to the LKF Model 2025.

After a coffee break with lively networking opportunities, Gerald Santer from Barmherzige Brüder Europa Mitte presented practical approaches to environmental management, sustainability controlling and sustainability reporting – topics that are becoming increasingly important in the healthcare sector.

Afterwards, Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Frank spoke about the interfaces between medical controlling and law. He also presented his new book “Rechtskonforme Entscheidungen in der Medizin”, which sheds light on the legal framework for medical decisions.

Practice-oriented workshops and new insights

Parallel to the plenary session, the workshops before and after the lunch break offered practical insights into specialized topics:

• Dr. Ursula Pueringer underlined the relevance of occupational medicine and emphasized the central role of healthy employees for the performance of healthcare facilities.

• Wolfgang Kaltenegger gave a vivid demonstration of costing in the spa and rehabilitation sector and showed how business management models are applied in practice.

The lunch break, with its traditional culinary offerings, also provided ample opportunity for informal discussions between participants, speakers and exhibitors.

In the afternoon, OA Dr. Claus Christian Schiller, MBA (University Hospital Linz) focused on the development and documentation in the LKF system, before Wolfgang Sissolak, Director of Nursing at St. Josef’s Hospital (Vinzenz Group Vienna), gave an impressive presentation on nursing controlling at his facility.

Innovative reporting systems and new supply models

Another highlight was the contribution by Steffen Ruttscheidt and Dr. Juliane Brümmer from d-fine GmbH, who presented innovative reporting systems and solutions for sustainability reporting.

Finally, Hannes Stickler, MBA, together with Ines Schöls, BA MA, gave a tour of the extramural sector: the Admont primary care center was presented as an example of new care structures – with exciting insights into the status quo, challenges and future prospects.

Exchange, recognition and outlook

Before work group leader DDr. Ranftler summed up the event, the winners of the popular “controller-friendly” quiz game were honored. The main prize – the new book by Prof. Frank (left in the picture) – was awarded to Daniela Platzer from the Lower Austrian Health Agency.

With its broad range of topics, high-caliber speakers and committed participants, this year’s ICV Forum Health Care Austria was once again a complete success. Special thanks go to the moderators of the working group Michael Schwob, DI Jürgen Tiefenbacher, Dr. Johannes Painold, Stefan Stoiber, Erika Ortlieb, Rene Lambert and Dr. Martin Reich as well as the entire organization team.

The community is already looking forward to the next ICV Forum Health Care Austria, which will take place at the end of September 2026.

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