Has the electronic health card reached the end of the road? – Doubts about the future of the electronic health card after the German parliamentary election in September 2017
In the last few days, voices of high-ranking employees from medical associations and statutory health insurances were reported divulging supposed plans of the Federal Government that the project eGK will be declared unsuccessful after the parliamentary election in September 2017. The discussion was further boosted by Wolfgang Krombholz, chairman of the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and Helmut Platzer, chairman of AOK Bayern, who were also critical about the future of the eGK.
The development and implementation of the eGK have been criticized for a long time: For many of the critics, the late online rollout is causing a major headache. Master data of the insured persons such as name, date of birth, address, insurance number and status are deposited on the eGK as on the old card, but digital retrieval and updating of data is not yet possible – contrary to the planned online rollout for 2006. Other planned applications of the eGK such as an emergency data set, an electronic medication plan and an electronic patient record are still in the distant future.
It is also criticized that the telematics infrastructure underlying the eGK is already outdated. Health insurance companies have already started distributing the next generation of the latest state-of-the-art health care cards to their insured.
Another criticism of the eGK – recently underlined by Maria Klein-Schmeink, spokesperson for the health policy of the parliamentary group Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen – addresses the low access rights of insured persons to their medical data. According to the current plan, patients can access their stored health data only very cumbersomely. Regarding initiatives such as the health record (Gesundheitsakte) of the “Techniker” health insurance or the “health network” of the “AOK”, which respond to increased information and participation needs of patients, it becomes obvious that the eGK does not correspond to the current zeitgeist.
The Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU) and the companies involved in the expansion of the telematics infrastructure, such as the Compugroup, are vehemently denying the rumors of the end of the electronic health card. However, the recent statements could have far-reaching implications: If the excitement leads to strong uncertainty among the users consequently demanding for technical improvements, further delays would be preprogrammed.
Sources (09.08.2017):
http://www.hcm-magazin.de/gesundheitskarte-vor-dem-aus/150/27350/355623?xing_share=news
http://www.hcm-magazin.de/roundup-compugroup-und-gesundheitsminister-stehen-hinter-gesundheitskarte/150/27350/355644
https://www.aerztezeitung.de/praxis_wirtschaft/e-health/gesundheitskarte/article/940734/telemedizin-droht-e-card.html
https://www.aerztezeitung.de/praxis_wirtschaft/e-health/gesundheitskarte/article/940776/telematikinfrastruktur-wo-bleibt-anschluss-patienten-e-health.html
http://www.kbv.de/html/egk.php