The rollout of the electronic patient record (ePa) is proceeding positively, according to the official assessment of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), despite growing dissent from insured individuals.
“We actually see the situation as good” said a ministry spokesperson in response to a request from the dts News Agency on Friday. The minister is still planning the nationwide “rollout” for March or April, with the electronic patient record to be implemented only when it is secure.
Earlier, the health insurance funds had reported that the dissent rate among their insured members currently stands at 3.8 percent, which would translate to around one million people in Germany. At the beginning of January, the rate was 2.7 percent. Given the similar figures reported by other health insurance funds, experts estimate that there are currently around three million dissenters.
The Federal Ministry of Health has no expectation of the number of insured individuals who will lodge dissent in the coming weeks and months, according to the spokesperson, who declined to speculate on the matter.
Data privacy experts have long warned, among other things, that the electronic patient record could become a highly sought-after target for hackers due to the central storage of sensitive health data. The health ministry assures that it is taking all necessary measures to ensure security and points to the benefits of the electronic patient record, such as a better overview of health data for doctors and patients and fewer duplicate examinations.