DMEA topics: Implanted chips, AI, electronic patient records and more

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The DMEA has grown in importance in recent years. While visitor numbers for the health IT trade fair in Germany in 2023 were still at 16,000, the organizers, the German Health IT Association (Bvitg), are expecting 20,000 people next week. 800 exhibitors and more than 300 speakers have already been announced, including futurist Richard van Hooijdonk, who has had several chips implanted to control his house and car. As patron of the DMEA, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach will give a keynote speech.

As in the previous year, the electronic patient file will also be a topic alongside AI. The Bvitg will also be offering a program for doctors in which the Berlin Medical Association will award training points, as Melanie Wendling explained at the information event before the trade fair. According to Matthias Meierhofer from Meierhofer AG and Chairman of the Board of the Bvitg, the acceptance and integration of the ePA (elektronische Patientenakte) into everyday medical practice is still being developed. At the same time, the Federal Ministry of Health is hoping for an early rollout and intends to publish a plan for the next steps once the test phase has been evaluated.

Improvements to IT security

"There was [...] a small interim shot by the CCC, the Computer Chaos Club, which uncovered a few security gaps. What [...] is to be welcomed is that this was discovered before the EPO was launched and not later," says Meierhofer. The security measures are "in the final stages". When asked whether there were any further security gaps in the EPO, Meierhofer replied that the current specifications were "very secure". However, there is still "an open flank" and 100% security can never be guaranteed. Nevertheless, further improvements need to be made regarding virus protection and the handling of contaminated or damaged files. However, the Bvitg sees nothing standing in the way of the current launch and has "complete confidence in the measures that have currently been taken", said Meierhofer.

Rollout plan not yet known

According to Meierhofer, the vast majority of manufacturers are "ePA-ready", but people also need to be able to use it – both at patient level and at service provider level. With the technology, you have to consider: "What do I do with it, what can I do with it, what am I responsible for, what am I not responsible for, what happens, what information do I have to upload as a service provider and so on." The "ePA" project is not finished with the rollout, but is actually just getting started.

Only recently, the Bvitg pointed out that some facilities had not yet installed updates for the ePA. In addition, "vacation or sick leave in some practices delayed active involvement with the functions", according to the letter. The network architecture and system configuration of the facilities were also responsible for further technical problems. It is also unclear to users what information must be stored in the EPR and what liability regulations apply if data is not available in the EPR. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians provides detailed information on electronic patient records for practices.

Do not slow down digital projects

Over the past two legislative periods, many projects have been initiated that could be better coordinated. According to Meierhofer, this should not be slowed down under any circumstances. The hospital reform also had a major impact on outpatient care. The question is how things should continue and how the "channeling of patients through the healthcare system" can function independently of the sector.

The influence of the hospital reform on digitalization was also discussed. This offers many opportunities, but is also considered a challenge for hospitals. As many hospitals will have to close as a result of the hospital reform, young providers in particular should consider which hospitals to approach and consider whether "the hospital will still be there in two years' time".

Semantic standards

When asked about open source, Meierhofer replied that work costs money everywhere, regardless of whether it is free or commercial. "We need uniform semantic standards and we lack them in many places in Germany," Meierhofer demanded. It is important to have someone "who not only connects the technology, but also the content, and that's where organizations like a KIG or similar are needed". The Competence Center for Interoperability in Healthcare (KIG), which is based at Gematik, has more powers to ensure the interoperability of applications with the Health Digital Agency Act – which should have come into force during this legislative period.

Health IT 2025 trend report

According to Luisa Wasilewski, founder and managing director of the consulting firm Pulsewave, the topic of AI is primarily a "change topic". She predicts that the topic of documentation via AI will probably reach the majority of medical practices by the end of the year. "Certain players" will "go in really aggressively", says Wasilewski. Pulsewave published the trend report on healthcare IT together with the Bvitg. According to the Bvitg, the guiding thesis of the report is that AI is the first trend that manages to bring about fundamental system changes through the technology itself.

30 years of the Bvitg

"To mark the 30th anniversary of the Bvitg, we have published the special report 'Health IT 2025' to give people in the health IT industry and all interested parties in the healthcare sector an up-to-date assessment of the health IT market and its development," said Bernhard Calmer, member of the Bvitg Executive Board and responsible for the Trend Report project group.

According to the report, there is a lot of potential, particularly in administrative processes, while integration into therapy and diagnostics still represents a challenge. In the area of therapy decisions, the AI Act, among other things, comes into play. According to this, AI systems should be safe, transparent and comprehensible, although this also poses a challenge. As there are still many unanswered questions in this area, Wasilewski estimates that it will be five years before AI is "widely adopted".

(mack)