New GesundheitsID: AOK commissions T-Systems and Verimi

Since January 2024, health insurance companies have had to provide their policyholders with a digital identity on request. This will give insured persons access to telematics infrastructure (TI) services such as electronic patient files, e-prescriptions and, in the distant future, a messenger. The AOK has now awarded the contract for the GesundheitsID to Telekom subsidiary T-Systems, which is already supplying the ID wallet for the Gaia cloud project, among other things.

Since the beginning of the year, the 27 million AOK policyholders have been able to log in to the electronic patient file with their current GesundheitsID, as required by law. "The AOK digital identities already available, which have been in use since January 2024 to log in to the electronic patient file 'AOK Mein Leben', will be transferred to the comprehensive access service for all AOK digital services at the beginning of 2025," according to a joint press release from AOK and Deutsche Telekom. Anyone who has already created a health ID will also be able to use it for the electronic patient file in the future. The migration of existing identities will take place in several phases.

"The technical solution from T-Systems guarantees a high level of protection and meets the strict security requirements of the Gematik digital agency. This means that our policyholders can rest assured that their sensitive health and social data is protected in the best possible way against unauthorized access," emphasizes Dr. Carola Reimann, Chairwoman of the Board of the AOK-Bundesverband. This will make accessing digital AOK services via smartphone more convenient.

T-Systems and Verimi

T-Systems and ID wallet provider Verimi were already commissioned to develop and operate Barmer's GesundheitsID in 2022 and are now providing the infrastructure required for the GesundheitsID for half of the insured. DAK-Krankenkasse uses software from IT service provider Bitmarck for identity access management. Other providers such as RISE and Bitmarck also provide the corresponding infrastructure.

In future, EU states will have to provide their citizens with a wallet under the amendment to the eIDAS Regulation. Users will be able to store their national eID in this wallet, particularly on mobile devices, and link it to proof of other personal attributes such as driving licenses, diplomas, birth and marriage certificates, payment data and medical prescriptions. According to Telekom , it is testing digital identities together with other mobile phone providers when activating SIM cards until the end of the year.

Last week, Techniker Krankenkasse was the first health insurance provider to receive approval for the integration of the e-prescription function into its health insurance app. This means that from June, policyholders will have all information bundled in one app and will not have to view e-prescriptions in a separate app. Shortly after Techniker Krankenkasse, AOK has also received approval for the integration of e-prescriptions into the electronic patient file and will begin the roll-out from July.

Electronic patient file from 2025

From 2025, insured persons are to receive the electronic patient file automatically. There is little time for a sensible implementation, especially as not all specifications for implementation by the industry have been finalized. The industry recently called on doctors to lower their expectations, according to a press release from the German Health IT Association. Software companies have to implement the extensive Gematik specifications for the electronic patient file, but will not be able to implement the functions required for the period in accordance with the specification to the extent desired by doctors and patients.

(mack)