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E-patient file: Hardly any resistance from insured people – this is how it continues!
The e-patient file is coming: Hardly any resistance among 75 million people insured by statutory health insurance. Introduction from January 15th, information campaign ongoing.
E-patient file: Hardly any resistance from insured people – this is how it continues!
The electronic health record, a topic that could revolutionize the healthcare landscape, has so far met with surprisingly little resistance. Of the 75 million people with statutory health insurance in Germany, only a fraction expressed objections to the upcoming introduction. The largest German health insurance companies, including AOK, Techniker, Barmer and DAK, stated that only a few objections to the automatic creation of an e-patient file were received.
A comprehensive information campaign has been running since the summer to inform those insured about the e-patient record (ePA), which will be available to everyone from January. The possibility has been opened up to lodge an objection if you do not agree with the digital file. By the end of September, the AOK Federal Association reported an objection rate of just 1% among its 27 million insured people. The Techniker Krankenkasse is also below 10% - a remarkably low value that far misses the federal government's expectations of 20%.
The future is just around the corner
Barmer has written to almost 90% of its insured persons and only receives sporadic objections. At DAK-Gesundheit the rate is around 1% after contacting its 5.5 million insured people. The fact that these numbers are so low shows patients' trust in the advantages of e-patient records. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds emphasizes that this digital solution is overdue and offers great opportunities to sustainably improve medical care in Germany.
From January 15th, health insurance companies must make the e-file available to everyone with statutory health insurance, provided there is no objection. Initial tests are planned in model regions such as Franconia and Hamburg before Germany-wide use begins in March. The advantages are clear: medications, findings and laboratory values should be able to be accessed centrally, which is of great benefit to patients in the event of a change of doctor or in emergencies. Insured persons control access to their data via an app – a simple solution for a complex healthcare system!