INFRASTRUCTURE DR JANINA BEILNER – HEAD OF HEALTHCARE DEVELOPMENT, SIEMENS, NÜRNBERG, GERMANY
The digital roadmap for healthcare infrastructure
Dr Janina Beilner, head of healthcare development at Siemens and honorary professor (Prof. h.c.) for AI and Digitalization in Healthcare at Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, explains how the smart integration of digital technology can enable healthcare facilities to achieve sustainability without compromising on quality of care.
The healthcare sector faces an unprecedented challenge – how to maintain critical 24/7 operations while dramatically reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions, and operational costs. As hospitals consume approximately 2.5 times more energy per square foot than typical commercial buildings, the sector’s contribution to global CO2 emissions – estimated at 5 per cent according to the World Health Organization1
– demands immediate,
innovative solutions. The answer lies not in compromising
operational reliability, but in embracing smart integration of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) to create intelligent infrastructure systems. This digital transformation represents more than an operational upgrade; it is a fundamental reimagining of how healthcare facilities can achieve sustainability without sacrificing patient care quality – something we believe will define the future of healthcare delivery.
Progress and potential At Siemens, we recently conducted research – Digital Transformation, Sustainable Returns: The New Pathway of Infrastructure2
– which revealed that the
healthcare sector has made positive progress towards this goal. More than half (58 per cent) of healthcare organisations
now consider themselves at a mature or advanced stage in data-driven management of systems, resources, and infrastructure. This represents significant progress from just a few years ago, when most facilities operated with siloed systems and reactive maintenance approaches. However, this also highlights significant opportunity for the remaining 42 per cent of organisations still in the early stages of digital transformation. From our experience working with healthcare facilities worldwide, we know that the convergence of OT and IT with building
Janina Beilner
Dr Janina Beilner leads healthcare development at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, driving digital transformation in healthcare delivery. A medical doctor (MD, PhD) with two decades of experience, she
trained at leading institutions including Medical University Hospital Hannover, Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, Stanford Clinics, and National University Hospital Singapore. Dr Beilner also serves as an honorary professor (Prof. h.c.) at
Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, teaching seminars on ‘Leading by Learning’ and ‘AI and Digitalization in Healthcare.’
Her current research explores quantum computing in healthcare, positioning her at the intersection of emerging technology and clinical applications.
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and medical infrastructure is not just beneficial; it is essential for harnessing data from smart infrastructure and transforming it into actionable insights. Hospitals have historically operated
with disconnected systems – building management separate from medical equipment, energy systems isolated from patient care operations. To become truly smart, hospitals need to dismantle these barriers to create unified, intelligent ecosystems.
Investment momentum Our research also shows that investment in digital transformation is top of the agenda – 60 per cent of healthcare organisations plan to increase their investment in digital technologies within the next year. Why? Well, 69 per cent of healthcare leaders cite improved productivity as a primary driver, while 68 per cent focus on enhanced energy efficiency. Most significantly, 63 per cent believe digital technologies can help decarbonise operations within their organisations.2 This increased investment momentum
creates opportunities for engineering and estate management teams to secure
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