First experiences with electronic patient files: opportunities and risks!
First experiences with electronic patient files: opportunities and risks!
Hameln, Deutschland - The digital future of the healthcare system is in full swing, especially here in northern Germany. The electronic patient files (EPA) started its official start at the end of April and now offers both medical practices and clinics the opportunity to digitally store findings and doctor's letters. So far, use is voluntary, but from October 1, 2023, this obligation will be binding for doctors. Dewezet that has already been raised that first experience has been collected become.
Specialists like Dr. Khalid Mahmood Khan, who has been using the EPA since the beginning of May, emphasize that it initially brings a relief. But he also warns that older patients in particular often have difficulty finding their way with the new system. Also Dr. Andreas Bertomeu, a general practitioner, is positive, but sees the use of the EPA as an additional burden. Most of the findings still receive its practices by fax - according to Bertomeu, this is 45 percent. In addition, too many different providers for patient management are a major hurdle.
Current challenges in everyday practice
The exciting world of the EPA also brings its challenges. The software that is necessary for the use of the patient file remains a sticking point. For many practices, the facility represents a real challenge. The multitude of providers makes the transition anything but easy. In addition, Bertomeu expresses concerns that the visibility of all health data could be problematic for some patients because they can manage the files themselves.
For doctors who set up the electronic patient files, there is currently an extra remuneration for the first filling. That sounds good at first, but the reality shows that many practices are in the start phase and first have to get used to the new technology. In the meantime there are still some contaminated sites to cope-for example, narcotics recipes must continue to be printed on a needle printer, since these cannot be recorded in the e-recipe system.
rights of the insured
Another important aspect of the EPA is control that insured persons have through their data. According to Data protection mv , the insured are not obliged to use the EPA at any time-unless against the entire file or only specific data. This is an important point for all those who have concerns about their data sovereignty.
insured also have the option of excluding certain doctors or medical facilities from the EPA data. The health insurance company is considered an important interface: it maintains the billing data and ensures that it gets into the digital acts. Even if the prospect is that research data will be made available from mid -July 2025, it remains necessary that insured persons can object to the use of their data.
The first steps with the EPA show that many questions are still open. The development continues to be pursued with tension, whereby many experts emphasize how important a comprehensive clarification of the patients is in this context. Gesundheitsinformation.de bietet hierzu wertvolle Unterstützung, ersetzt jedoch kein persönliches Gespräch mit Ärzten. So the discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of the EPA is only at the beginning- there will definitely be a lot of information.
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| Ort | Hameln, Deutschland |
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