HealthTech of the Week: Trust Is the New Currency of Medtech. Reflections After Hospital Innovation Summit and AI Health Horizons

September in the Polish medtech scene was marked by two significant events: the Hospital Innovation Summit, organized by the Institute of Mother and Child as part of the MCSC Hospital Leadership Challenge, and AI Health Horizons in Warsaw, where I had the pleasure of participating as a speaker. It was a powerful dose of knowledge and exchange of experience, valuable not only for the Healthtech of the Week series. Although each of these meetings had a different character, both clearly showed that the Polish medtech landscape is maturing and entering a phase in which innovations must not only impress with modernity but, above all, earn trust.

Looking at these events, I feel we are at a turning point. The Polish medtech scene is no longer simply imitating global trends; it is beginning to create its own ecosystem—ambitious, mature, and increasingly ready for the challenges of the future. So what exactly were the Warsaw meetings about?

AI Health Horizons: A Human Look at Artificial Intelligence

On September 10th, the AI Health Horizons conference took place at the Bellotto Hotel—an event strongly focused on one theme: the role of artificial intelligence in medicine. I had the opportunity to present on the topic of communication that builds trust in medical innovation. A subject that just a few years ago seemed secondary has now become central to the innovation debate.

According to TTi Health Research & Economics in their 2021 report, three out of four startups in this sector fail not because their technology doesn’t meet market expectations, but because they lack the ability to communicate their innovation effectively and gain doctors’ trust. In my talk, I highlighted the most common mistakes made when presenting solutions and explained the five pillars of building trust. I also shared a checklist that I hope will support future discussions and presentations for anyone seeking the attention of the medical community.

Doctors using AI solutions must be confident that models perform as promised. Patients want to know their data is safe and that algorithms will not decide their health fate without human oversight. Trust doesn’t emerge on its own—it must be built through transparency, open communication, and an ethical approach to implementation.

The conference itself was highly interactive. Alongside lectures, there were hands-on workshops, such as shaping language models or reducing AI hallucinations. There was also an Oxford-style debate, where doctors and experts argued about how far algorithms should be allowed to step into the role of diagnostician. This experience reinforced one conclusion for me: AI in medicine is no longer a futuristic vision. It has entered daily practice, and we are only just learning how to use it responsibly. The next event confirmed this as well.

Hospital Innovation Summit: A Systemic Perspective

Exactly a week later, on September 17th, the Hospital Innovation Summit was held at the Gasworks Museum in Warsaw. It is part of the MCSC competition organized by the Institute of Mother and Child, which has become a key platform for collaboration between innovators, academia, hospitals, and public institutions. This is where ideas born in laboratories become real solutions ready for hospital implementation.

On stage, the final ten startups presented their innovations. This was a particularly important moment because, alongside experts, decision-makers and practitioners were present—people who can directly influence the future of a given technology.

It was no coincidence that many projects focused on automating and digitizing patient-doctor interactions. In a country where medical staff struggle with bureaucracy and patients often get lost in the system, these solutions are not a “nice-to-have”—they are a necessary condition for the healthcare system to function efficiently.

Shared Grounds and Different Perspectives

Although the Hospital Innovation Summit and AI Health Horizons differed in format and audience, their common denominator is clear. Both showed that healthcare innovations must be useful, safe, and understandable to their end users.

The IMID event emphasized the ecosystem: connecting startups with hospitals, building implementation pathways, and creating systemic frameworks for innovation. Meanwhile, AI Health Horizons focused on practice: doctors’ competencies, the ability to assess technology, and the ethical consequences of AI.

Together, they form a complementary whole. On the one hand, we have tools and systems developed within the 4th edition of MCSC Hospital Leadership, and on the other, the growth of awareness and knowledge among medical professionals, shaped by conferences like AI Health Horizons. Only when these two elements come together can we achieve what we truly expect: a genuine transformation of healthcare, one that benefits everyone.

Toward the Finale and the Future

But this is not the end. On October 21st, the grand finale of this year’s MCSC Hospital Leadership will take place, where the best projects among the Top 10 showcased at the Hospital Innovation Summit will be selected. The medtech community is watching this event with great interest. It’s not just about the main prize or recognition—it’s about real opportunities to implement innovations that can change the everyday lives of patients and doctors.

Yet for this development to be sustainable, we still need one more thing: trust. Whether we’re talking about artificial intelligence algorithms or innovative hospital solutions, trust remains the most valuable currency in today’s medtech.

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].