Many already suspected it, but now there is certainty: The nationwide rollout of Electronic Patient Records 3.0 – EPA for all – will be postponed, and there are no further details yet about the rollout. This has been reported by the Medical News Service (AEND), among others. The new version will initially be introduced in model regions from January 15, but has been delayed for some time due to technical issues. The postponement should provide relief to many of those involved.
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Compulsory appointment of doctors will happen only when experiences in model areas are positive, This is stated in a letter available to A&E From the Federal Ministry of Health to the Health IT Association bvtig. Sebastian Zilch, head of the department of geomatics, e-health and telematics infrastructure at the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), said this in June this year. If all goes according to plan, the rest of the legally insured population should get EPA as well.
Even when the program was announced a year ago, there were concerns on all sides as to whether the deadlines would be met. The 1,000-page specification for the EPA was published in late 2023, then finalized relatively quickly and still has changes. At the recent EPA summit there was talk of “flashing fingers” from developers, but summit attendees were mostly encouraging.
communication problems
There appear to be some communication problems on the part of BMG, as evidenced not only by posts on social media, which are often criticized for inadequacy in content, or by EPA’s multi-channel campaign for all. Since it has been clear for several months that EPA’s plans are ambitious, clear communication and a gradual rollout from the beginning would certainly have helped more than routinely creating uncertainty with contradictory statements.
Who informs the insured?
There are also organizational challenges to fear, as doctors in clinics and practices do not have time to inform their patients about the potential risks of an electronic patient file if, for example, some data goes to the EPA. According to the current plan, doctors should ask whether sensitive data, such as information on abortion, should be uploaded to the EHR. Doctors are concerned that this will create extra work, waste the doctor’s time, and thus put even more responsibility on them. It is also not clear whether the information from the electronic patient file actually reached people with statutory health insurance – some health insurance companies only started their information campaign as early as November.
(Mac)
