Electronic patient files in Passauer Land: Why they are hardly used!

Electronic patient files in Passauer Land: Why they are hardly used!

The electronic patient record (ePA) has stirred up a lot of dust since its nationwide introduction at the end of April 2023, including in the beautiful Passau region. But the big breakthrough has not materialized: Despite being made available by almost all statutory health insurance companies, active use of the ePA by those insured is rather poor. In the Passau region, interest is manageable, as a report in the Passauer Neue Presse states. Family doctor Wolfgang Gradel, who is also state chairman of the Hartmannbund Bavaria, speaks of a cautious perception on the part of patients.

From October 2023, doctors in the Passau district will be legally obliged to offer and fill out the ePA in their practices. But why is the population hesitant? Perhaps it is due to the insufficient information provided to the insured. A look at the guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Health shows that health insurance companies are obliged to inform their members comprehensively about the functions, the information that can be stored and the rights in relation to the ePA. The right to object is particularly important here, especially when it comes to sensitive data such as mental illnesses or abortions.

Digital identity and data protection

How does authentication work in the digital world? Identity is proven here using identifiers such as username and password or biometric data. To register with the ePA, insured persons use their electronic health card together with a PIN or health ID. Alternatively, a fingerprint can also be used for authentication. Linking this digitized data with the real identity is crucial for secure handling in the healthcare sector - data protection is no small matter here.

However, health insurance companies have the right to enter medical data in the ePA, but they are not allowed to view this data unless the patient requests old findings to be digitized. This raises the question: If insured people don't even know what rights they have or what happens to their data, how can they trust this system?

An outlook

The ePA could revolutionize the way we manage our health data, but it will require everyone involved to pull together and take the concerns of those insured seriously. Wolfgang Gradel advocates more intensive educational work in order to put the advantages of the ePA in the right light. After all, a well-managed patient file could not only make doctor-patient contact easier, but also lead to a lot of less paperwork.

It will therefore be exciting to see how the situation surrounding the ePA will develop in the coming months. Time is of the essence because the legal obligation makes the pressure to act particularly clear. Will demand increase or will everything stay the same? Reality will soon have to give us the answer to this.

For more information about the electronic patient file, visit Federal Ministry of Health or Gesund.bund.de.