Digitization: debate about greater use of the e-patient files

In view of a previously low active use of the new electronic patient files (EPA) in millions of insured persons, calls for more information and easier access are loud. General practitioners warned of a “crash landing” of the project and demanded better information from the health insurance companies. Patient representatives see the practices and clinics in the responsibility to post important data to the e-files. The legal health insurers rely on a thrust in autumn when doctors are obliged to do so.

“The number of active users is sobering,” said the federal chairman of the general practitioner association, Markus Beier, the “Rheinische Post”. If the responsible persons continue as before, one of the most important pension policy projects will “fail slowly but surely”. He referred to a complicated registration process and technology that is prone to interference. Most patients would hardly have noticed anything from the EPA.

70 million insured persons have an e-file

The background to this is that millions of insured e-files have not yet actively used to view their own health data or to block sensitive content. According to a reform of the traffic light coalition, 70 million of the 74 million legally insured persons have received an EPA from the cash register since January. The following applies: If you don’t want to, you have to actively contradict. And: You can look into your EPA, but you don’t have to.

The operation in practices and clinics is currently expanded nationwide. Doctors can fill the EPA with documents, even if insured persons have not yet logged in via the app. Only then can patients determine online for themselves which doctors can see which data and what not.

Patient representative calls for improvements

The Federal Government’s patient representative, Stefan Schwartze, demanded improvements: “I am letters by citizens who complain about the problems of establishing the EPA,” said SPD politician Ippen Media, for example, with a view to unsuitable smartphones or other access problems. “That urgently has to improve.” The EPA also has to become more application and patient-oriented- for every age group.

The German Foundation for Patient Protection said that the EPA was responsible for a crash landing of the EPA itself. “Finally, they have to put the patient’s data in,” said board member Eugen Brysch. “Insured persons can only control content that is there.” There is also an obligation to provide information with the service providers, not only with the health insurers.

Cash registers rely on “important thrust” in October

The top association of statutory health insurance emphasized, now it is about increasing acceptance and practical benefits so that the EPA is reaching in the width of the supply. Board Martin Krasney said he was confident that there was an important thrust if all doctors are obliged from October 1st to take new diagnoses and findings in the e-file. “The unjustified bad speeches of the EPA is certainly not a constructive contribution to the necessary digitization.”

So far, millions of insured persons have not yet used their EPA for themselves, as it was called on request at large health insurers. The technician health insurance company has eleven million e-files, and actively use 750,000 insured persons. The Barmer has 7.8 million EPAs and around 250,000 active users. In general, you first have to identify and unlock yourself for the first use of the app. With the eleven general local health insurance companies (AOK) with 25.8 million existing e-files, 200,000 insured persons have created a personal health ID that enables them to access.