Fresenius Medical Care

Vratislava Kovarova

Could you share some insights on your professional journey and the essential experiences that led you to your current role at Fresenius Medical Care?

That's an important question. It often sounds cliché, but it’s one of the most important things to consider. How we arrive at our work shapes who we have become and what we want. My journey began with an interest in psychology, but I ultimately pursued medicine at Charles University in Prague, which provided a strong foundation. I started my career in internal medicine at a district hospital, where the lack of staff helped me develop resilience. How did I end up in nephrology? My interest in nephrology was sparked during a mandatory internship, where I was fascinated by the combination of technology, invasive medicine, and internal medicine. Nephrology requires deep knowledge of the body's internal environment, and it offers unique opportunities to work with advanced devices like dialysis machines or bioimpedancebased machines.

After several years, I became the head of the nephrology department, which introduced me to management responsibilities, which is an entirely new discipline requiring new skills. Fortunately, Fresenius Medical Care provided us with the necessary management training, which I greatly appreciated and continued to benefit from when I later moved to the FME headquarters in Germany, where I was responsible for patient safety in the EMEA region. This role broadened my understanding of healthcare systems globally, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. You realize that the problems unimaginable in Europe are daily challenges in other regions. My current focus on care quality, safety and sustainability at a global level has further expanded my perspective, emphasizing the importance of combining financial efficiency with social and environmental responsibility.

As a sustainability manager, what are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your role, and how have you overcome them?

Sustainability is critical, requiring companies to consider their impact on the environment, employees, and society. It forces companies to ask questions that were previously pushed aside. These are questions like: “What impact does my business have on the environment, employees, customers, their families, and society as a whole?” I think these are the right questions to be asked, and it’s essential to integrate these concerns into business efficiency. A significant challenge is aligning sustainability with business goals and ensuring processes support our ESG strategy. It’s crucial to educate employees about their role in sustainability and demonstrate its relevance to everyone.

Additionally, the new CSRD regulation demands highquality, transparent data reporting, which involves creating processes and frameworks with demand to prioritize and allocate resources. Failing to meet these demands could make us less attractive to investors, patients and employees. The ultimate challenge is creating a long-term strategy that ensures a sustainable future. How did we overcome that? It's not a one-time exercise; I see it as a long-term journey. As a company, we began addressing these needs and requests several years ago, taking it step by step. I believe we’re on the right track.

Could you name some emerging technologies or practices you are most excited about in healthcare?

Healthcare faces challenges like staff shortages and an aging patient population, which brings higher morbidity and greater complexity of care. I believe telemedicine and digitization are crucial for the future. Almost everyone at the beginning of last year heard the term LLM (Large Language Models). These generative technologies have great potential to alleviate the excessive electronic documentation that healthcare professionals currently struggle with, allowing healthcare professionals to focus more on direct patient care. Of course, data privacy and proper regulations have to be always considered. Another element I’m excited about is wearable sensors. Whether it’s a sensor for measuring blood pressure, glucose levels, or other parameters, it offers excellent potential for self-care and risk assessment.

As a nephrologist, another area I closely watch is xenotransplantation. Many readers surely noticed the March xenotransplantation of a genetically modified pig kidney performed in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The development of this field could greatly alleviate the current shortage of donor kidneys. Predictive models in healthcare also hold promise for cost-effective, patient-centered care.

What are your future goals and aspirations for improving patient care and advancing social sustainability in healthcare?

My goals are aligned with the concept of sustainability as such. I aim to make decisions that preserve resources and involve those most affected by our processes. For me, this means treating people with the respect they deserve, understanding their workload, and considering the needs of the patients we care for. By focusing on sustainable practices, we can improve overall care quality. My current focus is on meeting the requirements of the new CSRD regulation, which will enhance our company's attractiveness to employees, patients, and investors while ensuring we contribute to a sustainable future, which is very important to me.