Ärztetag calls for practical digitalization & changes to emergency reform

The 130th Ärztetag clearly spoke out in its resolutions for more digitalization and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare – but links this with concrete demands for practical framework conditions. The planned law for data and digital innovation in healthcare (GeDIG) was particularly controversially discussed, on which the Ärztetag passed several far-reaching resolutions.

In the adopted main resolution, the delegates demand that AI be used specifically for relief. It should “reduce documentation workload, provide clinical decision support, reduce incorrect prescriptions, relieve bureaucracy” and thus strengthen the quality of care. The electronic patient record (ePA) must be further developed “as a central platform for data and applications in a practice- and user-oriented manner” – with a focus on user-friendliness, operational stability, and care-oriented applications.

Data protection, risk management, and avoidance of security vulnerabilities are imperative

At the same time, the doctors draw clear boundaries: The “overall medical responsibility for diagnosis and therapy” must be preserved, and “the medical attention to patients must be strengthened”. Clear and practical framework conditions, easily accessible pilot projects, and binding timelines are demanded. Budget and resource requirements for implementation and training must be determined early on. Data protection, risk management, and the avoidance of security vulnerabilities must be guaranteed.

Regarding the planned emergency reform, which relies on digital networking and standardized initial assessment, the doctors also see a need for improvement. While the resolution acknowledges that the federal government wants to “advance the reform of emergency care after a long standstill” and “also include the reorganization of the ambulance service”, the current draft law “does not yet meet these standards [...]”. Specifically, the delegates reject “a coexistence of different initial assessment systems with different steering consequences”. Digital instruments can support the processes, but personal contact – by phone or directly in the practice – remains indispensable.

In addition, the Doctors' Day demands in a further resolution not to “counteract” the ongoing structural reforms in the hospital sector with “quick and unbalanced austerity packages”. The planned spending cuts in the course of the GKV contribution rate stabilization law cannot be achieved “without – also qualitative – cuts in care”. Instead of a structured reform, this will only accelerate a “cold structural consolidation”.

(mack)