- Digitale Krankenkasse
Digitalisation in the healthcare sector – what does that mean?
Digital technologies are improving healthcare: all the information is available in one place and can be shared – helping to ensure the best possible treatment. We explain how this benefits you.
The legal basis: the E-Health Act
The ‘Act on Secure Digital Communication and Applications in Healthcare’ came into force back in 2015. This so-called E-Health Act has paved the way for the seamless technical management of insured persons’ master data. This includes:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Gender
- Health insurance status
It also covers the collection and storage of vital emergency data, electronic medical reports and medication plans. With a standardised IT infrastructure, GPs and specialists in private practice, hospitals, psychotherapists and pharmacies can exchange information more quickly and, whilst adhering to strict data protection requirements, offer video consultations, for example as part of telemedicine services.
The E-Health Act sets out the manner in which, and the technology by which, data may be exchanged between the various stakeholders in the healthcare system. In technical terms, this technology is known as the telematics infrastructure. It acts as a kind of data motorway, enabling applications such as the electronic health card (eGK), the electronic patient record (ePA) and the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU).
What are the benefits of digitalisation in the healthcare sector?
From the insured person’s point of view, there are many advantages: if you are being treated by different doctors, they need to consult with one another to agree on the correct course of treatment. In the past, doctors had to rely on the telephone, fax, post or email to do this. This sometimes took a very long time and either slowed down treatment or led to unnecessary duplicate examinations. Medical histories and the progression of illnesses had to be recounted and documented several times. Furthermore, sensitive patient information – for example, when sent by fax – was not adequately protected from prying eyes. Now, this communication takes place via the telematics infrastructure – to which all doctors’ surgeries in Germany are required to be connected – using high-level encryption and within a matter of seconds. Treatment-related information can be stored in your electronic patient record (ePA), as can X-rays and laboratory results. This transparency requires your implied consent – in other words, if you do not object, your consent is deemed to have been given. Thanks to digitalisation in the healthcare sector, as an insured person you will in future be spared many unnecessary trips, copies and additional doctor’s appointments.
What is the Health Data Use Act?
The aim here is to make the health data of German insured persons available for research purposes, but only upon request. This is based on the Health Data Use Act, which came into force in March 2024. The data used for research projects is subject to a strict duty of confidentiality. The release of information stored in the ePA is carried out automatically using pseudonyms, so that it is not possible to identify individual insured persons. For their part, health insurance funds are permitted to actively approach their insured persons if the research findings or claims data have provided useful indications for preventive medical check-ups that would be particularly beneficial for specific individuals. This is the case, for example, if data analysis reveals a particular risk of cancer within a specific patient group. It also paves the way for timely reminders about recommended vaccinations.
The Digital Act – the legal basis for the ePA
The Digital Act sets out the framework for the electronic patient record, which will be available to all those with statutory health insurance from 2025. The aim is to simplify the day-to-day work of doctors and the everyday lives of patients. By consolidating all personal health data in one place – managed digitally under strict security measures – greater transparency is created for both healthcare professionals and insured persons. This also applies to medication plans, potential interactions, the exchange of e-prescriptions, and the prescription and integration of digital health applications (DiGA). DiGA are certified health apps that help you with preventative healthcare or recovery, and the costs of which may be covered by health insurance providers.
Digitalisation in the healthcare sector is a major step towards new diagnostic and treatment methods. This benefits the insured community as a whole, but also you personally as an insured person, because personalised medicine allows your individual health issues to be addressed in a much more targeted way. And just imagine how brilliant it would be if you never had to search for your vaccination record again – because it’s available at any time as an electronic vaccination record (eImpfpass) via the ePA.
