More than 70 million patient records, a fraction of insured persons use them
For six months, almost everyone has had an electronic patient record, but few use it. Problems also arise when switching health insurance.
(Image: FOTO Eak/Shutterstock.com)
For six months now, almost all people with statutory health insurance have had an electronic patient record (elektronische Patientenakte, ePA), unless they have objected. According to Gematik, the number is currently just over 70 million. Nevertheless, comparatively few people are actively using the "ePA for all". According to Gematik's TI dashboard, 3,343,431 insured individuals currently have a health ID, which is required to log in to various telematics infrastructure services, such as the ePA. The majority of GesundheitsID users are also likely to have an ePA.
According to reports from ZM online, hundreds of thousands of insured people log into their records, but the majority do not use the ePA. It is often only used in the event of illness or before visits to the doctor, when the file is relevant to the treatment. In addition, many people still lack knowledge or confidence in the digital application, although awareness of the ePA has increased among the population. A lot of information such as findings, laboratory results or medication lists flow automatically into the file. From October, doctors will be obliged to fill in the ePA.
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Despite the potential benefits, the reality for many insured individuals is still more complicated than it seems at first glance. In addition to the rather hesitant use of the ePA, there are also very practical hurdles to overcome –, especially when organizational changes come into play.
Problems with the ePA after changing health insurers
For example, it was difficult to deal with the ePA when changing health insurance providers. It happened that insured people suddenly had a file despite objecting to it being set up and the new health insurance company was unable to make any changes. The Ă„rztenachrichtendienst had already reported on a "zombie ePA". This led to confusion and concerns regarding the control of personal data. Gematik is already aware of the case "and has already been rectified by the file system manufacturers for health insurance company changes that are taking place", according to a request.
According to Bitmarck, there have been "very specific cases" in the past where an objection to the ePA was not automatically forwarded to the record system. This was the case if there were "ambiguities regarding the insurance periods and an objection when the file was initially created". The files have since been deleted. IBM has not yet responded to a press inquiry.
Do I have an electronic patient file?
According to Gematik, insured people who want to know whether they have an ePA or whether the migration of their data has worked following a change of health insurance provider should contact their health insurance provider. For example, it is possible to contact the ombudsman's office of your health insurance company and ask there. Anyone who has the PIN of their ID card or electronic health insurance card and a smartphone can also identify themselves for the use of the ePA and other services at the health insurance companies. This is usually done in the app for the ePA. They can also check for themselves whether an ePA exists. With most health insurance companies, it should now also be possible to use the ePA app with a card reader. As a rule, doctors should also be able to see whether an ePA exists for the patient – unless they have previously been blocked.
(mack)
