Austria's eHealth strategy: full operation for electronic vaccination record
Austria wants to accelerate the digitalization of its healthcare system and, among other things, regulate the full operation of the electronic vaccination card.
Home page of ELGA GmbH, provider of the electronic health record, founded in 2009.
(Image: ELGA GmbH)
Austria has adopted its plans for a "comprehensive amendment to the Health Telematics Act, which will regulate the full operation of the electronic vaccination certificate (eVaccination certificate) and the connection of emergency services and the 1450 hotline to ELGA". From 2026, it should be possible to book doctor's appointments nationwide via a call center under the number 1450; in addition, video consultations with as many doctors as possible should work – Germany is planning something similar with the emergency reform.
A key component of the electronic vaccination record in Austria is the central vaccination register, which stores both vaccinations carried out and "vaccination-relevant information". According to information from the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), 51 million euros have been budgeted annually for the eHealth strategy.
Electronic health record and health apps
The electronic health record ELGA, which was launched in 2014 despite massive criticism, is to be greatly expanded in the coming years, writes ORF. According to parliamentary correspondence, the aim is to make medication, previous illnesses and laboratory results clearly and completely accessible. "Once the ELGA participant has been identified by a doctor or in a hospital, the doctor or hospital can access the ELGA of the respective patient for the following 90 days", explains the Austrian government. This is also planned for the "electronic patient file for all" planned for 2025 in Germany.
However, there is a difference in terms of pharmacies' access to the ELGA. In Austria, they have "28 days from identification to access ELGA, and only to the e-medication list", whereas in Germany this is three days. In addition, as in Germany, patients with chronic illnesses will be prescribed health apps from next year, which will help diabetes patients with nutritional decisions, for example.
Rauch for protection and easy access to data
Austria's Health Minister Johannes Rauch emphasizes that data protection has "top priority". No central "data silo" would be created, but existing databases would be linked and made accessible. In 2023, Rauch emphasized that he wants to make it easier for healthcare providers to access ELGA data and the vaccination record nationwide. This should reduce the administrative burden. The vaccination certificate became mandatory in Austria as a result of the coronavirus crisis in October 2020.
The Austrian healthcare system's digitalization plans are in line with European efforts and the Common Health Data Space. The EU Commission has defined the digitalization of the healthcare system as one of its main objectives and is planning to introduce a European health data strategy, among other things.
(mack)