A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday the previously announced timeline for the nationwide rollout of the electronic patient file (ePa) to start next month. According to the German Medical Association, the test phase, which has been ongoing in several regions of Germany since January, is currently being evaluated. The digital health card for all will come “once the security updates are installed.”
Since January, the ePa has been tested in Franconia, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. Originally, the nationwide start was planned for mid-February, but it was later announced that the card would not be introduced until at least April due to technical issues.
The Federal Association of German Pharmacists (ABDA) had recently expressed criticism about the current state of data protection for the new health card. Pharmacists in Germany had demanded further tests and security measures before the nationwide start of the electronic patient file. The pharmacy association stated: “Patient health data must be better protected than in the current versions.”
The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and other associations of statutory health insurance physicians are still criticizing the security gaps in data protection and “open technical issues.”
Last year, the “Health & Resilience” expert council was established as a successor to the Corona Expert Council. The new expert council has already presented its plans for the use of ePA. In a statement on the topic “Strengthening Resilience through Vaccination and Hygiene” from February, the council made proposals for the ePa data collection.
In the chapter “Prevention through Vaccination strengthens” the council writes: “Substantial successes for public health can be attributed to vaccination programs.”
This and “to increase the prevention potential through vaccination” requires “current, continuous, high-quality data on vaccination and disease rates and the effectiveness of vaccines.” Therefore, vaccinations need to be recorded digitally through patient records across the population.
In the statement, the necessary measures were listed in detail. For example, it states: “A nationwide recording of vaccinations using the electronic patient file, which should be linked to a unified national data structure.” “Binding as many of the vaccinations recommended by the STIKO as possible to routine check-ups and regular doctor’s visits.” “Simple cost coverage regulations to facilitate workplace vaccination, inpatient vaccination and vaccination through the public health service.