Peter Lehner, Chairman of the Conference of Social Security Institutions, described the e-prescription at a press conference on Wednesday as a “milestone in the digitization of the healthcare system”. As a next step, the e-prescription should also be valid abroad and used by more doctors of choice.
“The e-prescription shows that we are one step ahead in the digitization of social insurance, even in an international comparison,” said Lehner. After the e-card 2005, Elga 2015 and the electronic vaccination card 2020, the e-prescription is the next big step.
Less administrative effort
“With the introduction of the e-prescription, the paper prescription will be replaced and the entire prescription process, from issuing and redeeming to billing, will be digitized,” says Lehner. This eliminates a large part of the administrative effort. In the future, doctors will create the e-prescription and save it in the e-card system. Patients can then redeem the prescription using a QR code in the smartphone app or a 12-digit code. Collection by a third party is also possible if the QR code is passed on. Since each prescription is only valid once and QR codes are difficult to forge, the e-prescription is also more secure. A prescription printed out by the doctor will continue to be available. The e-prescription also offers the option of a contactless prescription.
The costs for the e-prescription amount to 2.4 million euros for the development and another 4 million euros for the software implementation in surgeries and pharmacies.
Cross-border prescriptions in the EU?
The next step is for the e-prescription to be recognized across national borders. “We would like to integrate private prescriptions into the e-prescription system as a service for our insured persons and enable cross-border prescriptions within the EU in the future,” said Lehner. He cannot say by when it will really be, “ideally by the end of next year”.
In terms of data security, Lehner is not concerned, since the e-prescription is stored within the closed health information network. This gives doctors the opportunity to view other prescriptions from a patient and thus avoid possible interactions.
“No more paperwork”
In Austria, around 60 million prescriptions are issued every year, 7.7 million of them as e-prescriptions in the first half of 2022. “For the insured, this means: no more paperwork and nothing can be lost, different options for redeeming a prescription or having it redeemed, an overview of all e-prescriptions and the daily determination of the prescription fees paid,” Lehner said enthusiastically.
Source: Nachrichten
