Dirk Burghaus
Chairman of the Board of Sportklinik Hellersen
Photo: Hanna Witte
No future without AI –
The pioneer of sustainable
medicine
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Patient care, diagnostics, or documentation — the German healthcare system is under enormous pressure. The shortage of skilled workers has long been a reality and is having a noticeable impact on patients and staff. In addition, bureaucracy and administrative burdens are growing, and many processes are outdated and poorly networked. In contrast, AI is on everyone's lips and is certainly a useful and helpful addition. How does this fit together?
Dirk Burghaus, CEO of Sportklinik Hellersen, does not see AI as a vision of the future, but rather as a necessary response to current challenges. In an interview with Hellersen Insight, he explains which digital solutions Sportklinik Hellersen is already using and will soon be introducing to optimize processes, simplify patient pathways, and specifically reduce the workload of medical staff.
Why do you think the use of artificial intelligence is so necessary in healthcare?
Dirk Burghaus: Without the use of AI, the healthcare system will no longer be able to efficiently handle the multitude of tasks in the future – neither medically nor organizationally. We are talking about a field of medicine in which unimaginable amounts of data have been accumulated worldwide over decades: diagnoses, research results, clinical experience – entire libraries full of knowledge. No human being can fully comprehend or remember this flood of information. AI can do that – it is able to analyze these huge amounts of data in a matter of seconds and derive recommendations for action accordingly.
If we aspire to provide the best possible care for our patients, then the use of AI is not only sensible, but also necessary in many respects. This is because AI provides information that a single doctor alone could not process in such breadth and speed. So it's about being able to make better decisions – in the interests of patients. And it's also about improving the working reality in clinics. We already have too few skilled workers who can handle the ever-increasing workload. AI helps us to make processes more efficient, save time, and use scarce human resources in a more targeted manner.
Even today, artificial intelligence can noticeably relieve the burden on medical staff.
Dirk Burghaus,
Chairman of the Board of Sportklinik Hellersen
Is artificial intelligence already so advanced that it can provide meaningful support to doctors in their daily work in hospitals?
Dirk Burghaus: Yes, but with limitations. We are not yet at the point where AI can completely take over medical decisions – and that will not be the case in the foreseeable future. But even today, artificial intelligence can noticeably relieve the burden on medical staff. For example, in the case of elevated cholesterol levels, AI can take over the evaluation and make initial recommendations based on defined parameters. This frees up time for what is essential – such as personal consultations with patients.
And that is precisely the point: if doctors spend less time on documentation and evaluation, they can concentrate more on individual care. Many processes in everyday hospital life are still paper-based or involve multiple data collection. This is not only inefficient, but can also have a negative impact on the quality of treatment. The targeted use of AI makes it possible to bundle information more quickly, recognize patterns, and establish connections – and in many cases more effectively than a human being can.
Technological developments over the past two decades show a clear dynamic. If this progress continues exponentially, it is only a matter of time before AI can reliably take over simple diagnoses. Nevertheless, humans will remain irreplaceable in the future – especially in medicine. Medical expertise is needed to check results, classify them correctly, and take responsibility. AI can analyze and recommend, but it cannot decide. Its potential lies in complementing medical expertise – for more informed, faster, and safer decisions.
Photo: Hanna Witte
What specific applications are you planning or already using at Sportklinik Hellersen?
Dirk Burghaus: We are currently working on several AI-based projects with which we aim to optimize both patient care and internal processes. One of the most exciting projects is the use of realistic avatars for patient education. These are not simple animations, but digital images of, for example, our chief physicians and senior physicians, which are created on the basis of real video sequences. The avatar talks to the patient, explains procedures, and asks specific questions, for example, about anesthesia, preparation for surgery, or previous illnesses.
All content is medically reviewed, regularly updated, and individually tailored to the respective treatment situation. This allows us to provide basic information in advance of treatment. This ensures greater safety and understanding on the part of the patient. At the same time, our doctors gain time for personal consultations, which will always remain individual.
We are also currently developing a system for AI-supported document pre-structuring. Some patients bring extensive previous findings with them. AI can help filter out the relevant information and prepare it accordingly for medical staff. This means less searching, a better overview, and shorter response times.
Administrative processes can also be significantly streamlined, for example through AI-based appointment scheduling. Patients can easily and automatically make appointments via a voice dialogue system. The systems learn and recognize typical requests. This not only reduces the workload on our switchboard, but also offers patients an uncomplicated first point of contact – around the clock.
How do your employees perceive developments in AI?
Dirk Burghaus: I am convinced that all of us – regardless of our professional field – will have to adapt more to changes in our tasks in the future. And faster than ever before. This is particularly true in the healthcare sector, where pressure is high and resources are severely limited. We are actively supporting this change at the Sportklinik Hellersen. It is important to us to involve our employees at an early stage, to inform and train them.
It's not about replacing employees. And we're certainly not talking about staff cuts through the use of artificial intelligence. Rather, we are concerned with rethinking existing tasks and relieving employees of activities that take up a lot of time and capacity – such as massive multiple documentation or purely administrative processes. This is exactly where AI comes in. Those who are open to this development see it as an opportunity. They realize that they can once again focus more on their actual tasks and on their patients.
Photo: Hanna Witte
Where do you currently see the biggest hurdles in the use of artificial intelligence?
Dirk Burghaus: One of the biggest hurdles lies in the area of IT structures – specifically in the interfaces between systems. Many software solutions in hospitals simply do not communicate with each other. This means that data has to be entered multiple times: weight, height, diagnoses, medications – often several times in different places. This is time-consuming, inefficient, and frustrating for everyone involved. Yet systems that make such double entries unnecessary have long been available. What is missing are uniform interfaces and the willingness of software providers to make them possible. Although there are legal requirements that these systems must communicate with each other, in reality this is unfortunately not yet working smoothly.
The second major hurdle is data protection. In Europe – and especially in Germany – we have created a data protection system that in many areas cannot keep up with reality. The so-called AI Act – a European law regulating artificial intelligence – is based, for example, on a level of knowledge that lags far behind the technological reality in many areas. Instead of enabling innovation, in its current form it creates additional hurdles and uncertainties – especially in the highly sensitive healthcare sector. In practice, this means that innovation is blocked before it has even begun. We have been discussing electronic patient records for years, while in other countries all health data has long been centrally and securely recorded digitally.
One example is the United Arab Emirates. There, when you enter a doctor's office, your fingerprint is scanned and the doctor immediately has access to all your medical data – and only the doctor, of course. This is regulated in accordance with data protection laws, efficient, and secure. In Europe, on the other hand, we tend to think in terms of barriers rather than opportunities. This is not about abolishing data protection. It is about combining it sensibly with digital progress – in the interests of better care.
What developments are you aiming for at the Sportklinik Hellersen in the coming years – particularly with regard to AI and digitalization?
Dirk Burghaus: Over the next three to five years, we want to systematically integrate artificial intelligence into our clinic processes — not as an isolated measure, but as a well-thought-out overall concept. This affects all areas: from admission and medical documentation to aftercare. We not only want to make processes more efficient, but also further improve the quality of care.
It is important to us that our employees are on board with this approach. That is why we are investing specifically in training and further education to strengthen their skills in using digital applications and give them confidence in their practical use.
In addition, we are focusing on international partnerships, for example with clinics in the United Arab Emirates. This exchange creates new perspectives and innovation impulses. It helps us to jointly develop standards that are viable across national borders.
We are focusing on international partnerships, for example with clinics in the United Arab Emirates.
Dirk Burghaus,
Chairman of the Board of Sportklinik Hellersen
What final conclusion would you draw?
Dirk Burghaus: Ultimately, I have a clear stance: technology is not an end in itself. It is a means to make medicine better, more humane, and more targeted. AI is key to this — but it takes people to unlock its potential responsibly.
Anyone who takes on medical responsibility cannot avoid using artificial intelligence — anything else would be a breach of the commitment to ensure the best possible care. So we should be bold and help shape the process instead of waiting to see what happens.
