The Martini-Klinik: Do one thing, and do it better than anyone elseInsights series, issue 7: How to optimize clinical operations in healthcare and transform care delivery


In the highly competitive and rapidly changing healthcare landscape, providers are under pressure to deliver high-value care. To achieve better outcomes at lower cost, significant progress can be made by optimizing clinical operations. The Martini-Klinik within the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany has attained success at optimizing their clinical operations through disciplined and strategic application of operational principles.

This paper examines the factors that are the foundation of the Martini-Klinik's success in being the global leader in prostate surgery and evaluates how these can be applied to other care providers.

This thought leadership paper is a co-authored with Prof. Hartwig Huland from Martini-Klinik and is part of the Siemens Healthineers Insights series. It provides ideas and solutions on 'Innovating personalized care'.


The Martini-Klinik's founder, Professor Hartwig Huland, made the decision to focus narrowly on one field, prostate surgery. To develop strategies and protocols that optimize effectiveness, Prof. Huland embraced three operational principles:

  • Specialization combined with high volumes
  • A rigorous commitment to follow-up and evaluation of outcomes
  • Strong patient orientation.

The successful application of these three principles has allowed the Martini-Klinik to enter into the ‘Virtuous Cycle’, a self-sustaining sequence of factors that enable lasting success, growth, stability, and ongoing improvement.


Prof. Hartwig Huland

Professor Hartwig Huland is widely recognized as a leading authority on prostate surgery. Prof. Huland received his medical training at a number of leading universities including Stanford University (California), and received his medical degree from the University of Hamburg in 1968. He moved to the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in 1991, where until 2008 he served as full professor and director of the Department of Urology and its Polyclinic. From 1997 to 1998, Prof. Huland served as president of the German Society of Urology (DGU). He co-founded the Martini-Klinik with Prof. Graefen in 2005 and was appointed physician-in-chief. Under his leadership, the Martini-Klinik has become the world's leading center for prostate surgery, performing more surgical procedures than any other hospital or clinic worldwide, and consistently achieving superior outcomes.


For more on the Insights series, please visit siemens-healthineers.com/insights-series.

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