EPA comes: Revolution in the health system from January 15, 2025!
EPA comes: Revolution in the health system from January 15, 2025!
On January 15, 2025, the test phase of the electronic patient file (EPA) begins in selected regions of Germany, including Hamburg, Franconia and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to test the use and functionality of the EPA in certain practices. This test phase will be crucial for the officially planned start of the EPA on February 15, 2025, but the course of which depends on the evaluation of these test runs. The EPA is designed as a digital health folder for legally health -insured persons and is intended to consider the exchange of medical information considerably.
In the EPA, health data such as doctor's letters, medical findings, laboratory values and image findings can be stored. It is particularly practical that e-recipe data is automatically transferred to the EPA. A special model is offered for children and adolescents, which is managed by the parents up to the age of 15. In the long term, the EPA should also enable the integration of other important documents, including vaccination pass, tooth bonus book and mother pass.
staggered use and data protection
The use of the EPA requires the app of the respective health insurance company, which is now available for smartphones and tablets with Android 10 or iOS 16. Use via PC and laptop should be possible from July 2025. Although users keep control of their documents - they can add them, hide or delete them - there are also important requirements for access to this data. Only medical facilities may receive access to the stored information, only for necessary treatments. The access times are limited to 90 days for doctors or clinics and three days for pharmacies, whereby individual adjustments are possible.
such as the Federal Ministry of Health emphasizes , data protection is a central element of the new digital infrastructure. Everyone involved must authenticate themselves to use the telematics infrastructure. To do this, users can use their electronic health card and a PIN or health ID and possibly also use biometric data, such as a fingerprint, for safe identification.
consent and responsibility
The legal framework around the EPA are defined by the bourgeois code. There is no special age limit for use; Rather, it is important to take into account the underage user's ability to consent. Parents are still legal representatives of their children, but must also regulate the handling of the EPA data. It is important that any access rights to the stored documents are only granted with the consent of the parents.
However, statutory health insured minors aged 15 and over are entitled to social benefits and can go to contract doctors independently. From this age, dealing with the EPA should also be possible independently. Parents decide which documents are stored in the EPA, with consent adolescents can also receive access to the EPA without the consent of parents, provided their ability to consent is determined in individual cases.advantages and challenges of the EPA
The benefits of the EPA is obvious: it enables a facilitated exchange of medical information, avoids duplex examinations and makes it easier to change the doctor, especially in emergencies, if important information must be available quickly. However, there are also concerns about possible data leaks and cyber attacks, technical problems and possible inequalities in use, for example if people have no suitable end device.
The use of the EPA remains voluntary, although no one has to fear disadvantages in the quality of care if he waives the EPA. When changing the health insurance, the EPA and possibly a contradiction to the new cash register will be transferred so that users cannot lose their digital health record.
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