Working together for more sustainability in the healthcare sector 

• Initiative for the future: osapiens and Prospitalia GmbH launch industry cooperation for more sustainability in the German healthcare sector 

• Sustainable corporate governance must also become standard in the healthcare sector 

• The partners support the implementation of national and European legal requirements, such as the LkSG, the CSRD and CSDDD 

• 75 percent of German university hospitals have already joined the cooperation 

The Mannheim-based software company osapiens and Germany’s leading procurement service provider in the healthcare sector, Prospitalia GmbH, have launched an industry cooperation that supports institutions and companies in the healthcare sector in Germany in achieving their sustainability goals quickly and securely using the latest digital technologies. The aim of the cooperation partners is to make supply chain and procurement processes in the hospital sector more transparent and therefore more sustainable and, above all, legally compliant. Previously, product prices and availability were the main priorities for hospitals, but now it is also about the working and environmental conditions under which medicines, medical devices and hospital supplies are manufactured. 

“Today, it is no longer just a question of optimizing purchasing and logistics processes economically and in line with demand. Rather, in order to achieve global ESG goals, national legal requirements such as the LkSG and, in the near future, the CSRD and CSDDD guidelines must also be implemented by companies in the healthcare sector throughout Europe. By using a standardized software platform, sector-specific data can be recorded and evaluated centrally. This allows resources to be pooled and all stakeholders to work together to make ESG-compliant corporate governance the standard”, said Alberto Zamora, co-founder and CEO of osapiens. 

The core element of the initiative is a software platform developed by osapiens that enables hospitals and medical facilities to use automation and artificial intelligence to efficiently monitor their supply chains and suppliers and identify potential risks at an early stage. This involves the protection of basic human rights such as child labor and discrimination, as well as compliance with global environmental standards. By consolidating the data on one platform, the clinics quickly gain an overview and can also use the software solution to take targeted measures to counteract possible violations of human rights and climate targets. 

“As part of their ethical and social responsibility, it is a matter of course for players in the healthcare sector to pay attention to sustainability in their corporate management”, said Jens-Patrick Schulz, Head of Prospitalia Senior Consulting, Prospitalia GmbH. “In procurement, this must be just as self-evident as outstanding quality and security of supply. Similar initiatives from other sectors are already leading the way:  

Without an action alliance between hospitals, purchasing cooperatives and specialized software companies, sustainable procurement processes as a core element of future-oriented corporate management cannot be implemented with the scarce resources of hospitals. Prospitalia is proud to be able to provide its contractual partners with even greater conceptual and practical support on the path to greater sustainability as part of its cooperation with osapiens.”  

75 percent of German university hospitals have already joined the cooperation, including the University Hospital Mannheim, the University Hospital Bonn and the University Hospital Aachen. 

The cooperation is based on the partners’ ongoing transfer of expertise since mid-2022, in which the experience of Prospitalia, which as a purchasing service provider represents over 25 percent of the German hospital market, has been continuously incorporated into the development of osapiens’ software solutions. 

The software requirements catalog was developed in special specialist groups together with hospitals and medical facilities. 

In close cooperation with the partners, the software’s range of services is constantly being expanded and tailored to the growing needs of hospitals and medical facilities.The declared aim is to jointly develop a standard solution that also meets the growing requirements for sustainability reporting with regard to upcoming EU directives such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will apply from 2024. 

“The cooperation enables us to take a holistic approach to risk management in the supply chain. By using a standardized software platform, we have a clear overview of our suppliers and can take targeted measures to prevent human rights violations or breaches of climate protection. This not only protects us legally, but also helps us to pursue our sustainability goals even more effectively and thus strengthen the credibility of our institution”, said Nils Koch, Head of Central Purchasing, SRH Gesundheit GmbH. 

The cooperation partners are determined to continue their collaboration and further expand their efforts to achieve greater sustainability in the healthcare supply chain. By using a uniform software platform, the cooperation partners are setting a new standard in the industry that improves transparency and accountability in the procurement of products and services. They invite other hospitals, suppliers and stakeholders to join them.