The healthcare sector relies upon trust. The general public trusts that healthcare practitioners can and will provide the necessary services, treatment and support for what ails them; but also that the organisations within the industry are making effective use of the resources available to them. The healthcare sector is, however, one of the greatest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and thus resource use must become a particular focus for companies in the industry. Healthcare provider, Sana Group, is aware of the need for the optimisation of assets across its industry and is working to pioneer a transformation to a sustainable healthcare sector.

The Sana Group is a longstanding presence in German healthcare, having been active for 45 years in the region. It is unique in Germany for being one of the few providers to combine healthcare with B-to-B services for other clinics, and this push for innovation across its activities takes on a new significance given the need for sustainability. CEO of Sana Kliniken, Thomas Lemke, is mindful of the need for change within healthcare. “The big challenge for the healthcare sector in the coming years will consist of making use of all resources that we have, in the respective regions in Germany, Europe, and also worldwide.” He believes that the Sana Group is well placed to contribute to this overall goal. “We have agreed on developing our business in a sustainable way.” But for this to occur in an effective manner, there are certain questions which must be answered.

What form does sustainable development take for a company in a traditional industry like healthcare? Sana Group is working to embrace the shift from traditional healthcare and medication to more preventative and remedial activities, along with understanding the potential offered by the digital age, in addition to more infrastructural changes.

A new building in Biberach has enabled the Sana Group to implement a modern infrastructure concept and establish a campus with much reduced distance for its users. Additionally, through its activities, the group is focusing on managing its greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. But a main focus for the group is an overhaul of its business model to the new needs of its patients. “From the beginning,” says Sana Kliniken CFO, Irmgard Wübbeling, “we would like to accompany our patients or customers through prevention and wellbeing effects and make a difference in society to save resources and reduce any costs.” Sana Group has recognised that the needs facing today’s healthcare practitioners have evolved from treatment of diseases to the maintenance of health and the reduction of medical expenses and is, therefore, working to both implement such changes within its operations and encourage them on a wider scale.

Sana Kliniken COO, Doctor Jens Schick, notes the group’s size and scale, and its involvement with other organisations. “With over 3 billion purchases, Sana Purchasing and Logistics is now the largest purchase service provider in German-speaking countries. 1300 cooperation partners entrust us with purchase and logistics, and on the other hand, we have over 700 cooperation partners from the industry, who negotiate prices and structures with hospitals on our behalf.” This enables Sana Group to enact change on a wider level. “We don’t pursue actionism but, together with our partners, we want to enforce changes in a sustainable way.” The group is working to ensure it can engage with doctors and carers through annual innovation days, such events allowing innovations to be discussed and evaluated before being tested in individual clinics and then rolled out to the public in successful. The goal of such innovations, as defined by Sana Group, is to generate benefits for patients as opposed to merely adding value for the company; such goals demonstrating the group’s commitment to making an overall contribution to its patients and customers.

For Sana Group, the focus on providing effective and high-quality healthcare goes hand-in-hand with the optimisation of resources. Thomas Lemke explains, “We want to put health at the centre of any individual, and in the society and, therefore, reduce the consumption of resources.” The group believes that the sector itself must contribute to ensure that the resources implemented will be used efficiently to improve the overall health of wider society to allow a reduction of medical expenses for individual patients. The innovative approach that Sana Group is bringing to sustainably optimise its activities – along with the contributions of its partners – provides a clear blueprint for the overall sector to follow in the pursuit of a positive and resource-healthy future for the industry.