Völklingen and Püttlingen hospitals to connect through new teleconsultation service

SHG-Klinikum Völklingen and die Knappschaft Kliniken Püttlingen are introducing a teleconsultation service connecting clinicians across both hospitals, enabling real-time clinical collaboration.

The web-based service will allow clinicians to select patients, create structured consultation requests – including urgency, indication and recipient – and document responses within a shared system. Automated notifications will ensure timely handling, while a central overview will provide full visibility of all consultations.

Located approximately 20 kilometres apart, the hospitals frequently coordinate on patient cases, particularly in emergency situations. Collaboration has largely relied on phone calls and ad hoc exchange of patient information, often requiring physical transfer of data (e.g. CDs). The new service will introduce a structured digital approach to consultations, enabling clinical information to be shared and documented electronically, removing the need for physical transport of patient data and improving how consultations are created, managed and recorded.

The service will reduce administrative workload and accelerate response times. At the same time, all interactions will be centrally documented and fully traceable, improving transparency and supporting more consistent, informed clinical decision-making based on up-to-date data.

The solution is supported by vitagroup’s Health Intelligence Platform (HIP), which provides a shared data foundation for cross-site collaboration. The service will mark a first step in strengthening collaboration across SHG’s hospital network and establishing a foundation for more integrated, data-driven care.

“This project lays the foundation for closely integrated, cross-site care,” says Joachim Neugebauer, Vice President Clinical Care Solutions at vitagroup. “Based on structured clinical data, hospitals can strengthen collaboration, improve operational efficiency, and make more informed decisions, with the clear goal of delivering faster and better care for patients across the region.”