Elga after ten years: Austrian health system revolutionizes care?

Elga after ten years: Austrian health system revolutionizes care?

The electronic health file ELGA is about to be used shortly after it has hardly been used in the past ten years. This modern and safe infrastructure in the Austrian health system is now to be used extensively. According to a current report by Krone , the participation rate is 67% among hospitals and 18% under care facilities. In addition, 82% of the health insurance doctors are connected, while only 44% of the election doctors take part in ELGA.

The participation of the doctors is mandatory, but there are no consequences for those who do not participate in the system. From July 1st, an essential step towards advanced use will be concrete: From this date, resident laboratories and radiologists are obliged to enter their findings and images into the system. In the long term, an expansion of health data and findings between 2026 and 2030 is planned.

use and access to health data

of a total of 9.1 million citizens in Austria, 97% are recorded in the ELGA, but only 280,000 people have deregistered. At the moment, fewer than 100,000 people actively use ELGA, which is about 1% of the population. The aim of the ELGA is to create a comprehensive patient file that contains findings, medication, images and preventive examinations. This information should not only be made accessible to doctors, but also the patient.

Via the ELGA portal, users can view their health data regardless of time and location. Functions such as eBefund, embankment and the Eimpfpass are available there. However, the Empfpass uses the technical infrastructure of ELGA, but is not legally part of the system, but is subject to other provisions, as from Gesundheits.gv.at explained.

Health data as a data treasure

The initiative is not only regarded as a step to improve patient service, but also as a data wealth that should contribute to scientific use and efficient control of the health system. For example, it is known that Austria has a high number of diabetes patients, but there are no precise statistics about this group.

The ELGA thus represents a central element in the digitization of the healthcare system. According to a comprehensive overview of current developments in the field of digitization of the healthcare system, BPB , the digital transformation of the healthcare system is of crucial importance for the future. It is intended to ensure that health data can be used efficiently and safely to optimize the care of the patients and to avoid gaps in care.