In this episode, co-hosts Gurmit and Angelina speak with Dr. Christine Jacob, Digital Strategist, Health Tech Researcher, Lecturer at FHNW, and internationally recognised expert in technology adoption in healthcare. With over 20 years of industry experience exploring how social, organisational and technical factors shape the acceptance of digital health tools, Christine brings a unique, science-based perspective on how innovation truly lands in healthcare.

Our conversation explores the second half of the reimbursement journey: Adoption. While previous episodes focused on the Assessment phase, such as evaluating digital health technologies through tools like Gurmit’s Value Assessment Dashboard (VAD), this episode turns to what happens after assessment — ensuring technologies are actually understood, accepted, and implemented in real-world care settings.

Together, we unpack:

·         The core “pain points” slowing adoption of digital health solutions today

·         The benefits that would emerge if these adoption barriers disappeared

·         Christine’s latest research: The AI for IMPACTS Framework

– Why she developed it
– How it helps organisations navigate responsible, user-centered AI adoption
– Where it can be applied across Swiss healthcare settings

·         How this framework complements existing assessment tools — and where it can support better, evidence-based decision-making for Swiss market access

We also reflect on how the Swiss healthcare system can better integrate digital technologies, from hospitals and insurers to patients and clinicians — and how structured adoption frameworks can support more confident, transparent, and scalable digital innovation.

As always, opinions expressed are those of our guest. For more information, listeners are encouraged to consult official sources and Christine’s recent publication on the AI for IMPACTS Framework.

Sources: 

Jacob C, Brasier N, Laurenzi E, Heuss S, Mougiakakou S, Cöltekin A, Peter M

AI for IMPACTS Framework for Evaluating the Long-Term Real-World Impacts of AI-Powered Clinician Tools: Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. J Med Internet Res 2025;27:e67485 URL: https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e67485 

DOI: 10.2196/67485

 

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https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

In this episode (in Swiss German), host Angelina Rau sits down with Barbara Meier, attorney at law at VISCHER AG and expert in tariff and healthcare law, to unpack one of the most complex yet crucial topics for digital health innovators in Switzerland — reimbursement and tariffs.

They discuss how Digital Health Applications (DiGAs) — software-based medical devices such as health apps or digital therapeutics — gain access to the Swiss healthcare system. Even when approved and recognized under compulsory health insurance (OKP), a DiGA can only be reimbursed if it fits into an appropriate reimbursement and tariff structure.

Barbara explains Switzerland’s three main reimbursement “categories”:

• Hospitals, inpatient and outpatient tariffs (like TARMED and the upcoming TARDOC) for services delivered by healthcare professionals,
• and the MiGeL list, covering DiGAs provided directly to patients.

Together, they explore how upcoming reforms, such as TARDOC, aim to modernize reimbursement for telemedicine and digital care — and why early collaboration between manufacturers and healthcare providers is essential for success.

Whether you’re a startup founder, digital health manufacturer, or health policy professional, this episode offers clear insights on how to navigate tariff systems, secure reimbursement, and bring innovation into the Swiss healthcare landscape.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

Are you a Switzerland-based stakeholder interested in the market access assessment of digital health technologies for the Swiss market? We value your input on how digital health technologies (DHTs) are currently assessed for market access (leading to reimbursement) in Switzerland — particularly by those without deep regulatory expertise. 

Two webinars will be held in October 2025 to provide context for completing the survey and introduce the key themes behind our research. You can still complete this survey even if you don't attend a webinar. Later in 2026, we will be sharing the results of our study. 

Survey link in English: https://forms.gle/7KxkNgsvQidWQkEy5
Link zur Umfrage auf Deutsch: https://forms.gle/bcChDitFKWddX2BK8 

Join the webinar (optional) without registration. In English & Deutsch :
Thursday 16th Oct 2025, 12 - 12.30 pm:  https://fhnw.zoom.us/j/66432766035 
Monday 27th Oct 2025, 12 - 12.30 pm:  https://fhnw.zoom.us/j/66859461413 

End of Survey: 31st Oct 2025

Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich die Zeit nehmen, uns Ihre Meinung zu unserer Gap-Analyse-Studie zu den Schweizer Kriterien für Wirksamkeit, Zweckmässigkeit und Wirtschaftlichkeit (WZW-Kriterien) im Vergleich zu den neueren Nutzenbewertungstools für digitale Gesundheitstechnologien mitzuteilen. Beispiele hierfür sind die Deutsche Digitale Gesundheits-Anwendung (DIGA) und das Value Assessment Dashboard (VAD). Im Allgemeinen werden diese Kriterien von Behörden für Health Technology Assessments (HTA) während der Marktzugangsphase des Lebenszyklus einer Gesundheitstechnologie verwendet. Die nachfolgende Phase ist in der Regel die Erstattungsphase. Ihr Feedback hilft uns dabei, Perspektiven aufzuzeigen, die oft nicht öffentlich zugänglich sind oder nicht erfasst werden. Es handelt sich um eine selbst finanzierte Studie für Schweizer Interessengruppen (Einwohner*innen und Bürger*innen), die sich für die Bewertung digitaler Gesundheitstechnologien für den Schweizer Markt interessieren. Wir planen, eine Zusammenfassung unserer Arbeit zu veröffentlichen. Details zur Umfrage siehe oben. Abgesehen von Ihrer E-Mail-Adresse erfassen wir keine weiteren personenbezogenen Daten.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

Jennifer Woods, Swiss Patient Leader and PPI partner, shares how Switzerland can strengthen patient access to digital health technologies: from usability and patient-reported outcomes/experience measures (PROMs & PREMs) to data privacy & security, value-based care, and the daily burden of illness. Beyond highlighting the gaps, she points to solutions — such as integrating patient voices earlier and systematically in HTA processes and aligning market access with real-world patient needs.

Jennifer is a Patient Partner for the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences’ Coordination Platform for Clinical Research (CPCR) and the National Data Stream (NDS) LUCID. She is also an EUPATI Patient Expert and Carney Complex Advocate.

👉 Swiss German summary at the end.

PPI Patient & Public Involvement 

https://www.samw.ch/en.html 

https://sphn.ch/network/projects/project-page_nds_lucid/ 

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

Rosa, Head of HTA at AQuAS (Barcelona), talks about her experience with developing fit-for-purpose assessment frameworks for digital health technologies. She shares how the Spanish HTA network, RedETS, follows a grassroots approach — identifying common needs and building methods that truly capture the value of these innovations. Rosa reflects on how this experience can support better decisions around market access and reimbursement. We also discuss what Switzerland can learn from this approach, offering practical insights for digital health developers and health policy decision-makers.  Recaps in Swiss German & Spanish. 

 aquas.gencat.cat     | switch to English on their website

Segur-Ferrer et al. New health technology assessment framework for digital health technologies 2025 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462324001090 

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

Host Gurmit speaks with Dr. Julia Müllner, Deputy Section Head at eHealth Suisse, about the vital role of interoperability for digital health technologies. From empowering Parkinson’s patients to challenges and strengthening Swiss health IT infrastructure, Julia explains how better data integration can enhance care delivery, improve patient outcomes, and support market access for digital health technologies and their developers. Ensuring both patient and clinician access remains a critical success factor that is addressed from a technological, policy, and healthcare system perspective. 

🎧 Bonus: Includes a German-language summary at the end.

https://www.e-health-suisse.ch/en  |
https://neurologie.insel.ch/de/unser-angebot/zentrum-fuer-parkinson-und-bewegungsstoerungen/berner-therapienetzwerk-parkinson 

#DigitalHealth #Interoperability #ElectronicPatientRecord

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

In this episode, we explore the reimbursement landscape for digital health technologies (DHTs) in Switzerland with Angelina, offering an introductory overview of key pathways to market access.

We focus on the inclusion of DHTs in Switzerland’s compulsory health insurance system ("OKP") and touch on the essential reimbursement criteria—known as the "EAE criteria" or "WZW-Kriterien":

• Effectiveness (Wirksamkeit)
• Appropriateness (Zweckmässigkeit)
• Cost-effectiveness (Wirtschaftlichkeit)

We also highlight practical challenges, identify useful public resources and documentation from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH/BAG), and discuss what innovators should consider when navigating the Swiss healthcare system.

This episode is ideal for developers, investors, and stakeholders interested in bringing digital solutions to the Swiss market.

Future episodes will offer a deeper dive into the regulatory requirements associated with the EAE criteria for securing reimbursement under the compulsory health insurance system.

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

In this debut episode, Gurmit presents his Value Assessment Dashboard (VAD)—a comprehensive tool designed to evaluate digital health technologies across seven key value domains. The VAD helps determine a technology’s potential for reimbursement, market access, and adoption, bridging the gap between innovation and patient access to better healthcare.

Developed as part of Gurmit’s MSc Medical Informatics research thesis, the VAD is built upon prior consultancy work in co-developing an orientation guide for assessing digital health technologies (1).

The framework serves multiple stakeholders, including startups, insurance companies, hospitals, governments, and health technology assessment (HTA) agencies.

🔹 Assessment Framework: The VAD consists of seven value domains (not prioritized) and 26 subdomains, covering:
✔️ Unmet medical need & current technology use
✔️ Technical product information & use
✔️ Usability & accessibility
✔️ Safety
✔️ Effectiveness
✔️ Cost impact
✔️ Ethical aspects 

🔹 International Efforts & Contextualization for Switzerland :

• Switzerland currently assesses health technologies (including medical services and pharmaceuticals) using established frameworks (EAE/WZW). However, some Swiss digital health stakeholders recognize that digital health technologies may require tailored evaluation frameworks.
• The VAD received validation at the 2024 Health Technology International (HTAI) Conference in Seville, where Gurmit engaged with experts working on assessment frameworks for digital health from Catalunya, Denmark, and Italy.
• Some early adopter insurance companies are exploring the application of HTA-based frameworks for their internal evaluation of digital health solutions.

The ultimate goal of the Value Assessment Dashboard is to ensure that promising digital health technologies reach patients by applying rigorous, transparent scientific and quality measures to the evaluation process.

In our next episode, we’ll dive into Angelina’s work as an Attorney at Law in market access and her PhD research on reimbursement of DTx.

(1) C/CAN. (2023).  Adopting digital health interventions in LMICs. Guidance for value assessment.   City Cancer Challenge.  https://cityc

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...

We will be exploring, developing a better understanding, and uncovering strategies & tactics to enhance Swiss market access (reimbursement) for digital health technologies (DHTs), including MedTech and Medical Devices.
 
With our combined expertise in digital health technologies, we’ll invite key stakeholders to share their insights, where we will:
 
a. discuss their challenges, opportunities, and successes in the Swiss market access ecosystem.
b. delve into their pain points, constraints, and innovative solutions shaping the future. 

What you'll gain from listening to our podcast on Swiss Market Access:

1. Valuable insights into Swiss regulations and guidance on digital health technologies.
2. A deeper understanding of decision-making and strategic planning in Switzerland. 
3. Greater confidence navigating the Swiss digital health industry—an emerging market.

Our listeners like you, who are digital health leaders & innovators. Especially Swiss-based or focused:

• Industry:  payers & insurance companies, commercial manufacturers, tech providers, and medtech associations.
• Health Startups: including software developers & engineers.
• National component agencies including regulatory and/or those conducting value assessments on digital health technologies.
• Clinical: clinicians, healthcare professionals, and hospital administrators.
• Patients & Advocates: patients, organizations, and patient leaders. Ethicists.
• Academic & Research: researchers, academics, & digital biomarkers researchers.
• Innovation Centres:  digital health hubs and Innovation and education-focused groups.
• And those interested in launching their digital health technologies in Switzerland.

If you are one or more of the above stakeholders but are too busy to read & process updates on market access (reimbursement) considerations on digital health technologies in Switzerland, then you are our listener. Subscribe & give our podcast a listen! 

Upcoming Monthly Episodes:

• Gurmit discusses with Angelina his research journey on the dashboard on the value assessment of digital health technologies. When presenting at HTAi conference, it validated the relevance of his research.
• Angelina discusses with Gurmit her experiences as a lawyer working in life sciences, particularly on Swiss market acce

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us a message on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/gurmitsandhu | https://linkedin.com/in/angelina-rau

Share your experience, feedback, “pain points” or success with market access & reimbursement of digital health technology #medtech #meddevice :
on the comments section below or DM us on LinkedIn

Do you know someone who would be a great guest for us to interview? Let us know via LinkedIn | Topics that you want us to focus on. Drop us a comment below!

What to Read:

Reimbursement guide on digital health applications within the Swiss healthcare system | Created in collaboration with experts in insurance, law, pharma, and industry including Angelina Rau | Free access, in Eng & De =>
https://swisshealthcarestartups.com/en/reimbursement-guide

Kohler, Stefan / Rau, Angelina, Vergütung digitaler Gesundheitsanwendungen in der Schweiz, Life Sciences Recht Stämpfli, LSR 1/2023, S. 13-22, Januar 2023

Sandhu G, Mohamed Ghazali IM, Laurenzi E, Miho E. PP22 A Dashboard To Support The Value Assessment Of Digital Health Technologies For H...