Interview with Nora Kobertz
Our alumna Nora Kobertz is a healthcare strategy and transformation consultant, as well as the founder of Kobertz Healthcare Consulting. Following her training as a healthcare and nursing professional, she studied Health Economics at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne and graduated in 2019. Her career has taken her to the University Hospital Cologne, as well as to Munich, Münster and Berlin. Today, she supports organisations, executives and teams in strategy, cultural and change processes. In our alumni interview, we spoke to her about her journey from clinical practice to consultancy, modern leadership, and shaping effecitve transformation in the healthcare sector.
In my view, one of the biggest challenges is placing greater emphasis on prevention and consistently tailoring healthcare provision to people’s needs. Currently, in many respects our system is focused on illness rather than health.
Dear Nora, you first completed an apprenticeship as a healthcare and nursing assistant, and later studied Health Economics at the WiSo Faculty. Today, you work as a consultant, supporting transformation processes in the healthcare sector. What prompted you to take this path?
The starting point was my own experience in clinical practice. Having worked in various intensive care units, I have witnessed the high level of professional expertise, commitment and creativity within the teams first hand. At the same time however I have also seen how challenging it can be to implement good ideas and initiatives for change within existing structures.
I was particularly concerned that highly skilled and committed colleagues were leaving the organisation because they were frustrated or could no longer see any prospects for development. I wanted to understand why organisations lose such people, and the conditions needed to ensure good work, motivation and development in the long term.
This sparked my desire to understand the healthcare system from structural, economic and organisational perspectives. I didn’t just want to identify where things weren’t working properly; I also wanted to understand why this was the case and how viable solutions could be developed. It was this ambition that ultimately led me to health economics and it continues to shape my work to this day.
You are familiar with the healthcare system, both from your practical work in heathcare and from the academic perspective as a health economist. How has this shift in perspective changed the way you view the system? And which insights or ways of thinking from your studies continue to influence your work to this day?
My understanding of the healthcare sector has broadened considerably through my studies and various professional roles. Today, I combine the perspective gained from direct patient care with my scientific knowledge of health economics and healthcare services. I also have a systemic view of structures, funding, leadership and the political framework.
This connection enables me to adopt a more nuanced view of how things are interconnected. I am interested not only in where things go wrong, but also in the conditions that people and organisations need in order to work well together and act effectively. For me, the focus is always on the people who rely on the healthcare system.
At the same time, I have learnt not to take established structures for granted. Not everything that has developed over time still makes sense under today’s circumstances: some things need to be developed further, while others must be consciously preserved. It is also crucial to consider who is involved in decision-making, whose perspectives are heard, and whose interests are effectively represented. This combination of practical experience, academic research and systemic thinking continues to shape my work to this day.
In your work, you support hospitals and other healthcare organisations through change processes. What are the biggest challenges in your view? And which developments do you think will have a significant impact on the healthcare sector in the coming years?
In my view, one of the biggest challenges is placing greater emphasis on prevention and consistently tailoring healthcare provision to people’s needs. Currently, in many respects our system is focused on illness rather than health: many services only come into play once people have already fallen ill. Going forward, the focus should be more on maintaining health, identifying risks early and providing timely support.
However, at the same time, outpatient clinics, hospitals, care homes, and therapeutic and social services often still operate as separate units, working at cross purposes. However, a hospital stay should be one well-prepared and well-supported phase in a person’s life. This requires appropriate support prior to admission and reliable follow-up care afterwards. Currently, people are sometimes admitted as inpatients precisely because these structures are lacking or unavailable in time.
Rather than planning care on the basis of individual facilities, beds or areas of responsibility, we should ask: What do people need in their specific life circumstances?
Therefore, a sustainable public healthcare system requires a new architecture. Rather than planning care on the basis of individual facilities, beds or areas of responsibility, we should ask: What do people need in their specific life circumstances? An important prerequisite for this are regionally organised structures that are tailored to local contexts, needs and resources. Digitalisation can help make information more accessible and facilitate transitions. However, it is merely one building block and not an end in itself.
In my work, I support organisations in implementing concrete changes. Time and again, however, it becomes apparent that improvements within individual institutions come to their limits if the legal, financial and political framework conditions remain unchanged. This is why I am involved with the Institute for Care, Ageing and Health (Institut für Pflege, Altern und Gesundheit e. V. - IPAG). Together with people from a range of professions, I develop practical proposals for a new, interconnected, prevention-focused care system. For me, driving change within organisations today and working on the structures of tomorrow go hand in hand.
Funding must support this development. Available resources should be directed towards a more coordinated system of care. In short, we need more money in the system, but also more system in the money. In my view, transformation means developing care in such a way that it is high quality, economically viable, and genuinely helpful to people in their everyday lives.
In your work, you draw inspiration from Magnet Hospitals, which are primarily found in the USA. Could you briefly describe what these are and how the concept works? What would it mean to apply the concept in Germany?
Magnet Hospitals originated in the USA and mainly developed out of the professional nursing sector. Their core aim is to create a working environment in which staff can work happily and effectively while at the same time improving the quality of care and patient safety.
The Magnet Concept is not just a single tool, but rather a scientifically sound, evidence-based framework for organisational development. The concept helps to identify potential: Where are good approaches already in place? Where are the structures lacking? How is expertise, participation and quality utilised, and where is room for improvement?
As part of the Magnet4Europe study, I have also looked into this. The findings show that basically the Magnet principles can be applied to European hospitals, though not as a direct copy of the US model. They need to be adapted to fit the respective healthcare system.
For Germany, this would mean paying closer attention to the conditions under which care is actually provided: clear roles, shared decision-making, leadership development, academic training, reliable data, and a culture that genuinely utilises professional expertise.
I place great importance on the role of nursing professionals in interprofessional collaboration. As the largest professional group, they play a vital role in the entire care process. Their competence, autonomy, and professional expertise are essential for ensuring quality care and patient safety.
I see room for improvement in Germany precisely in this area: interprofessional collaboration is often practised in day-to-day work, but it is still not consistently reflected in structures, decision-making processes, the legal framework or funding mechanisms. Yet that is exactly where it should start.
Whilst the Magnet Concept originated historically in nursing, for me it is not exclusively a nursing issue. Its principles can be applied to other professions and organisations. I use it as a framework to create better working environments, making care more effective, safer and more sustainable.
Interprofessional collaboration is often practised in day-to-day work, but it is still not consistently reflected in structures, decision-making processes, the legal framework or funding mechanisms. Yet that is exactly where it should start!
Your work also involves coaching hospital managers on subjects such as responsibility. What qualities should a good healtcare manager possess?
Above all, a good leader is characterised by their ability to create an environment in which people can work together successfully. They provide guidance, clarify objectives and responsibilities, and foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and psychological safety. This enables staff to contribute their skills, take on responsibility, and develop further.
At the same time, modern and responsible leadership involves actively driving change, thinking beyond organisational boundaries and building networks. Many challenges in the healthcare sector can only be resolved via collaboration. For me, this involves bringing practical experience from a variety of settings to professional and health policy discussions, helping to shape the future development of the healthcare system.
Finally, could you please complete the following sentence: When I think back to my time as a student in Cologne, I remember...
… how exams could sometimes feel like a matter of life-or-death; and how helpful my practical experience in intensive care was in putting some exam situations a little back into perspective.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our current students? Do you have three tips for studying?
Consider different perspectives and seek dialogue. There is rarely just one way of looking at an issue. Asking questions, listening and considering different viewpoints can broaden your horizon and often open up new possibilities.
It’s not just about observing change; it’s about helping shape it yourself. You don’t need to have the perfect solution right away. Often, taking the first concrete step is enough to set things in motion.
Just give it a go! Not everything will work straight away, and that’s exactly how you learn. Gain experience, reflect on it, adapt, and then carry on. This approach is often more valuable than waiting too long for the perfect moment.
Dear Nora, thank you very much for your time and for the interview.
Questions by Pascal Tambornino