New Alliance to Strengthen Digital Development in Healthcare

TechSverige, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR), Vårdföretagarna, and Swedish Medtech have launched a joint alliance to strengthen digital development in health care and social services. 

Digital development in society is advancing rapidly, and there are growing expectations that healthcare and social services organizations will be able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology more quickly. Achieving this requires coordination and development among all stakeholders.

The new alliance aims to strengthen cooperation between healthcare authorities, private healthcare providers, and technology suppliers. The main focus is to create a shared collaboration platform for practical problem-solving and ongoing dialogue regarding priorities and direction on issues that are strategically important for the digital development of healthcare and social care.

Through closer cooperation between the parties, national coordination and interoperability will be strengthened, and the use of both existing and new digital services and infrastructure will increase. The alliance will help promote technology-neutral and innovation-friendly regulations, requirements, and procurement processes.

“We are already seeing how digital solutions and AI are contributing to better health, healthcare, and social care. At the same time, there is enormous potential to improve quality, accessibility, and efficiency, and there are several challenges that need to be addressed. Through this alliance, we are joining forces to better translate technological advancements into tangible value for people and organizations,” says Åsa Zetterberg, CEO of TechSverige.

“Digital development in health care and social services is moving quickly, and there are many positive developments. We need to ensure that digital Sweden is cohesive, making things clearer and simpler for patients and care recipients. This requires better coordination between public authorities, health care providers, and the private sector,” saysAnders Henriksson, chair of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR).

“Both residents and employees expect health and social care services to have the best technology available and for important information to be accessible, regardless of whether the operations are privately or publicly run and regardless of which technical systems are used. That is why this joint effort between the parties is both necessary and long-awaited,” says Gunnar Caperius, Executive Director of Vårdföretagarna.

– The innovative power of medical technology is key to meeting the growing needs of health care and social services. When medical technology solutions can be integrated into a functioning digital infrastructure, the conditions are created for greater patient benefit and more efficient use of resources. “Swedish Medtech looks forward to contributing to the work of this joint alliance with the goal of strengthening digital development in healthcare and social care,” says Anna Lefevre Skjöldebrand, CEO of Swedish Medtech.

The Alliance will facilitate cooperation with government agencies and strengthen the implementation of initiatives such as a national digital infrastructure and the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

The Alliance will serve as a joint driving force for priorities and solutions, as well as for dialogue with the national government. The focus is on concrete initiatives and a united front on issues that require coordination. The Alliance has identified three priority areas for the near future:

The Alliance for Digital Development in Health and Social Care consists of an alliance council and a strategic implementation group. The partners are represented by senior decision-makers with a mandate to drive concrete change.

The full letter of intent can be read here

The collaborating parties:

Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR)
SKR is a membership and employer organization for all of the country’s municipalities and regions. SKR is a politically governed organization with a board consisting of elected officials from municipalities and regions.

Vårdföretagarna
Vårdföretagarna is an industry and employer organization for healthcare providers that operate privately run healthcare and social care services, such as limited liability companies, cooperatives, or nonprofit associations. Vårdföretagarna represents approximately 2,000 member companies that collectively employ just over 115,000 full-time employees.

Swedish Medtech
Swedish Medtech is a trade association for medical technology companies in Sweden and represents approximately 200 member companies.

TechSverige
TechSverige is an industry and employer organization that brings together companies that develop, deliver, and enable technology in Sweden. TechSverige represents approximately 1,400 companies that collectively employ nearly 100,000 people in Sweden.