Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia

The Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem is the official data platform for the Copernicus Programme’s satellites. CDSE combines instant access to satellite imagery with Application Programming Interfaces and virtual machine processing. Instead of downloading satellite imagery for local computation, CDSE utilizes cloud-optimized files to provide data according to the filtering and processing request of the user, facilitating large-scale scientific analysis. Cloud computing on CDSE eliminates the need for users to rely on their own data infrastructure. The incorporated standards support both Open Science and commercialization of scientific tools and algorithms. CDSE serves all users from beginners to professionals, from the interactive visualization of imagery to custom ML algorithms. Acquiring the skills required to process Earth Observation data is facilitated by the open-source codebase and tutorials. Access to public cloud processing is expected to foster the uptake of Earth Observation across new domains. CDSE now provides the critical mass to serve as a tool for knowledge exchange and to influence commercial and public providers alike to support cloud processing.

This paper presents the ETHAI (ETHics of AI) methodology, a novel multidisciplinary approach to integrating ethical values within artificial intelligence systems designed for healthcare applications. While theoretical frameworks for AI ethics have proliferated, significant gaps persist between abstract principles and practical implementation. ETHAI addresses this disconnect through a co-constructive process that brings together ethicists, technical developers, clinical experts, and potential users to collectively define and operationalize ethical requirements. The methodology is characterized by four key principles: contextual awareness, practical application, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and iterative refinement. In specific, this paper reports on the preliminary results of implementation of ETHAI within COMFORTage, a European Commission-funded project developing AI systems for monitoring and supporting patients with dementia and age-related frailty. The findings highlight how the participatory risk assessment provided by the method helped identify domain-specific considerations requiring adaptation of generic ethics principles, while revealing significant cross- disciplinary communication challenges in translating ethical concerns into technical specifications. The semi-structured approach proved particularly effective in balancing normative frameworks with stakeholder engagement, demonstrating that meaningful ethical integration remains possible even when introduced at the design phase instead of project conception. This case study contributes valuable empirical evidence to the field of applied AI ethics and design, where practical implementation experiences remain underreported despite their importance for advancing responsible technology development.

Background and Objectives: Healthcare payment systems face challenges from fraud and overbilling, often requiring costly and resource-intensive detection tools. In response, the utility of simple statistical tests was explored in this study as a practical alternative for identifying irregularities in dermatology services payments within the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (HIIS). Materials and Methods: Ten-year-old anonymized billing data from 30 dermatology providers in Slovenia (population 2 million) were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the methodology while avoiding reputational harm to current providers. The dataset from 2014 included variables such as the “number of services charged”, “total number of points charged” (under Slovenia's point-based tariff system at the time), “number of points per examination”, “average examination values (€)”, “number of first examinations”, and “total number of first/follow-up examinations”. Data credibility was assessed using Benford's Law (calculating χ2 values and testing null hypothesis rejection at the 95% level), and Grubbs'/Hampel's/T-tests were used to identify outliers. Results: Benford's Law analysis revealed significant deviations for the “number of services charged” (p<0.005), “total number of points charged” (p<0.01), “number of points per examination” (p<0.0005), and “average examination values (€)” (p<0.005), suggesting anomalies. Conversely, data on the numbers of “first” (p<0.7) and “total first/follow-up examinations” (p<0.3) aligned with Benford's Law, indicating authenticity. Outlier detection consistently identified two institutions with unusually high values for points per examination and average examination monetary value. Conclusions: Simple statistical tests can effectively identify potential irregularities in healthcare payment data, providing a cost-effective screening method for further investigation. Identifying outlier providers highlights areas needing detailed scrutiny to understand anomaly causes.

Cilj je rada ispitati profesionalne namjere i različite aspekte profesionalne adaptabilnosti učenika zdravstvenih škola. Sudjelovalo je 350 učenika, a primijenjene su hrvatske verzije skala CAAS i IPIP-20 te upitnik sastavljen za potrebe ovog istraživanja. Podaci su analizirani t-testovima, analizom varijance i regresijskom analizom. Učenici čija je profesionalna namjera nastaviti školovanje na fakultetima srodnim njihovu srednjoškolskom zanimanju imaju višu profesionalnu adaptabilnost (t(324) = 3,88; p < 0,000), zadovoljniji su svojim srednjoškolskim zanimanjem (t(324) = 7,22; p < 0,000) i lakše im je donijeti odluku o profesionalnoj budućnosti (t(324) = 5,55; p < 0,000) te postižu viši rezultat na osobini savjesnost (t(324) = 3,62; p < 0,000) u odnosu na učenike drugačijih profesionalnih namjera. Učenici koji nakon srednje škole odmah namjeravaju izaći na tržište rada imaju višu savjesnost od skupine učenika koji namjeravaju nastaviti školovanje izvan zdravstvenog područja (F(2/173) = 5,18; p < 0,000) i višu kontrolu nad svojim svoj karijernim putem u odnosu na skupinu učenika koji su još neodlučni (F(2/173) = 3,66; p < 0,005). U odnosu na te obje skupine, viša im je i emocionalna stabilnost (F(2/173) = 5,72; p < 0,000), zadovoljniji su odabranim srednjoškolskim zanimanjem (F(2/173) = 40,04; p < 0,000) i lakšim percipiraju donošenje odluke o profesionalnoj budućnosti (F(2/173) = 45,02; p < 0,000). 39 % varijance kriterijske varijable profesionalna adaptabilnost (R2 = 0,39; F (7/342) = 32,07; p < 0,000) može se objasniti prediktorima: osobine ličnosti, zadovoljstvo odabranim srednjoškolskim zanimanjem i percepcija zahtjevnosti donošenja odluke o profesionalnoj budućnosti. Značajan samostalni doprinos imaju prediktori savjesnost, intelekt, zadovoljstvo odabranim srednjoškolskim zanimanjem i percepcija zahtjevnosti donošenja odluke o profesionalnoj budućnosti, a najveći ima savjesnost. Rezultati dopunjuju dosadašnje spoznaje o profesionalnoj adaptabilnosti učenika adolescentne dobi u specifičnom kontekstu zdravstvenih zanimanja.

Financial innovation, green investments, or climate change are changing insurers’ business ecosystems, impacting their business behaviour and financial vulnerability. Supervisors and other stakeholders are interested in identifying the path toward deterioration in the insurance company’s financial health as early as possible. Suptech tools enable them to discover more and to intervene in a timely manner. We propose an artificial intelligence approach using Kohonen’s self-organizing maps. The dataset used for development and testing included yearly financial statements with 4058 observations for European composite insurance companies from 2012 to 2021. In a novel manner, the model investigates the behaviour of insurers, looking for similarities. The model forms a map. For the obtained groupings of companies from different geographical origins, a common characteristic was discovered regarding their future financial deterioration. A threshold defined using the solvency capital requirement (SCR) ratio being below 130% for the next year is applied to the map. On the test sample, the model correctly identified on average 86% of problematic companies and 79% of unproblematic companies. Changing the SCR ratio level enables differentiation into multiple map sections. The model does not rely on traditional methods, or the use of the SCR ratio as a dependent variable but looks for similarities in the actual insurer’s financial behaviour. The proposed approach offers grounds for a Suptech tool of predictive generation to support early detection of the possible future financial distress of an insurance company.

Izhodišča: Prehransko stanje posameznika uvrščamo med ključne dejavnike njegovega zdravja. Za učinkovito individualno in multidisciplinarno obravnavo stanj, povezanih s prehranskim stanjem posameznika, moramo dobro poznati terminologijo klinične prehrane. Ker je klinična prehrana kot medicinska stroka razvita tudi pri nas, v tujini pa so tovrstni terminološki dokumenti že na voljo, želimo tudi v Sloveniji na podlagi konsenza oblikovati enotno terminologijo. Metode: Prispevek je osnovan na podlagi eksplicitnega terminološkega dogovora. K sodelovanju smo povabili obsežno skupino relevantnih slovenskih strokovnjakov s kliničnih, predkliničnih in drugih področij, ki so povezana z dejavnostjo klinične prehrane v medicini, pri oblikovanju pa je sodeloval tudi terminolog s področja medicine. Kot izhodišče smo izbrali terminološke smernice Evropskega združenja za klinično prehrano in presnovo ter ob njih upoštevali najnovejša strokovna priporočila za posamezne pojme. Avtorji so bili v stiku prek osebnih srečanj in elektronske pošte. Pri končnem oblikovanju konsenza je sodelovalo 42 avtorjev iz 19 slovenskih ustanov. Rezultati: Predstavljamo temeljne pojme, terminološke definicije in pripadajoče slovenske termine s področja klinične prehrane. Opredelili smo osnovne motnje prehranjenosti – podhranjenost, prekomerno hranjenost, neravnovesje mikrohranil in sindrom ponovnega hranjenja. Poleg tega smo opredelili tudi s prehranjenostjo povezana stanja – sarkopenijo in krhkost. Osnovne pojme smo podprli s kliničnim kontekstom, v katerem nastopajo. Zaključki: Poenoteno razumevanje osnovnih patoloških stanj, ki jih obravnava klinična prehrana, je izhodišče za nadaljnji razvoj stroke, poleg tega pa je podlaga tudi za prehransko obravnavo in učinkovito prehransko oskrbo.

The publication is distinguished by a multidisciplinary treatment of the topics and is intended for both the lay and the professional public. The publication highlights current public health selected topics - from new estimates of the prevalence of dementia at national level and new projections of dementia cases among the population of Slovenia in the future, characteristics of knowledge of dementia among the general public and long-term care of people with dementia (from research into needs to development of services), the economic burden of dementia in Slovenia according to routine health care databases, dynamics of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia associated with pandemic and covid-19, characteristics of long-term covid-19/postcovidal syndrome and cognitive impairment, mental health of informal family carers of people with dementia during stress and stress-coping strategies, mental health and interventions, the burdens of informal family carers of people with dementia during covid-19 to falls in the elderly and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization has declared dementia for public health priority of the 21st century before the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID 19 pandemic, which affected the elderly population the most. Dementia is a disease that affects the individual, his relatives, caregivers and wider society. A person with dementia is increasingly dependent on the help of others over time, so dementia increases the health, economic, emotional, psychological and physical burden on the person with dementia and his caregivers. This year's multi-authors monograph of scientific papers represents a logical continuation of the scientific monograph entitled Spremljanje demence v Sloveniji. Epidemiološki in drugi vidiki ('Monitoring dementia in Slovenia: Epidemiological and other aspects').

The publication is distinguished by a multidisciplinary treatment of the topics and is intended for both the lay and the professional public. The publication highlights current public health selected topics - from new estimates of the prevalence of dementia at national level and new projections of dementia cases among the population of Slovenia in the future, characteristics of knowledge of dementia among the general public and long-term care of people with dementia (from research into needs to development of services), the economic burden of dementia in Slovenia according to routine health care databases, dynamics of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia associated with pandemic and covid-19, characteristics of long-term covid-19/postcovidal syndrome and cognitive impairment, mental health of informal family carers of people with dementia during stress and stress-coping strategies, mental health and interventions, the burdens of informal family carers of people with dementia during covid-19 to falls in the elderly and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization has declared dementia for public health priority of the 21st century before the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2/COVID 19 pandemic, which affected the elderly population the most. Dementia is a disease that affects the individual, his relatives, caregivers and wider society. A person with dementia is increasingly dependent on the help of others over time, so dementia increases the health, economic, emotional, psychological and physical burden on the person with dementia and his caregivers. This year's multi-authors monograph of scientific papers represents a logical continuation of the scientific monograph entitled Spremljanje demence v Sloveniji. Epidemiološki in drugi vidiki ('Monitoring dementia in Slovenia: Epidemiological and other aspects').

Zdravniški vestnik je odigral pomembno vlogo v razvoju sodobne slovenske medicine in slovenskega medicinskega jezika, zlasti terminologije. Namen članka je na kratko prikazati razvoj Zdravniškega vestnika od njegove ustanovitve 1929 do danes.