The Hellenic Digital Health Cluster (HDHC), in collaboration with smartHEALTH EDIH, successfully hosted the panel discussion “Healthcare Providers – Navigating Digital Transformation” at Athens Digital Health Week 2025. The session, moderated by Haris Papageorgiou, researcher at ATHENA RC, brought together key stakeholders to discuss the evolving landscape of digital healthcare and the urgent need for transformation in healthcare systems.
The discussion underscored the importance of advancing preventive, person-centered, and collaborative care. Dr. Angelina Kouroubali, Reference Site Collaborative Network – RSCN, highlighted major healthcare challenges, including workforce shortages, burnout, and aging populations, emphasizing the shift towards prevention, health promotion, and community-based healthcare.
Experts from leading healthcare institutions, including George Kaismarides (Onassis Hospital), Stathis Velivasakis (AFFIDEA), and Maria Bigaki (Papageorgiou General Hospital), shared their experiences in integrating interoperable digital solutions to enhance hospital operations and patient care. Additionally, Magda Chatzikou (PharmEcons Easy Access) addressed the challenges in the medical devices and pharmaceutical industries, stressing the lack of a CE-marking body in Greece and the need for a structured Health Technology Assessment (HTA) framework.
A strong focus was placed on patient-centered innovation, with Dimitris Kontopidis (Humane) discussing the benefits of co-designing medical devices with patients and the importance of health literacy and citizen empowerment. Meanwhile, legal and regulatory challenges were raised by Pantelis Natsiavas (Institute of Applied Biosciences, CERTH), who pointed out the need for a National eHealth Authority and the limited legislation for data sharing between public hospitals and private companies.
The panel concluded with an emphasis on the European Health Data Space (EHDS), highlighting the need for Greece to implement EHDS regulations to ensure secure data exchange and interoperability in hospitals and across health care organizations. The event reinforced HDHC and smartHEALTH EDIH’s commitment to fostering collaboration, supporting digital transformation, and driving innovation in healthcare.
