Chaos about the electronic patient file: does it come or not?
Chaos about the electronic patient file: does it come or not?
The implementation of the electronic patient files (EPA) in German healthcare faces major challenges and raises both technical and data protection concerns. The introduction of the EPA, which has been tested in model regions since January 15, 2025, was originally to be carried out nationwide in February 2025. Due to technical problems, however, this roll-out was postponed to April 2025, such as Andreas Gassen, the CEO of the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, commented on the situation and expects the introduction of the EPA to be further delayed. Many medical practices do not have the necessary software, and there are urgent questions about the closure of security gaps. The EPA should be available by law if they do not assert an active right to object to their health insurance company.
criticism of specialists
Skepticism compared to EPA is widespread among doctors. Dr. Martin Ebel and Dr. Sebastian Auel, general practitioner from Bad Hersfeld, fear that the EPA will not bring the desired advantages. EBEL criticizes that the benefit of the EPA is only given if doctors could access all relevant information, but this depends on the patient. AUEL warns of an increased bureaucracy and an additional time required because the EPA does not replace the documentation in its own practical system.
dr. Frank Klein from Schenklengsfeld sees potential advantages in greater transparency and avoiding double examinations, but also emphasizes that this only works if the system is stable. All three doctors agree that a nationwide introduction appears unrealistic in April 2025 and criticize the German solo alone in the development of the EPA.
security concerns
The concerns regarding data security are also very pronounced. EBEL and AUEL express concerns about the safety of the data collected and the risk that this information could be made available for research and industrial purposes. Klein reports that older patients in particular are unsettled and have problems using the EPA.
A study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Safe Information Technology (SIT) identifies numerous weaknesses in the EPA. A total of 21 security gaps were found, including four serious. These weak points include possible attacks by hackers and unauthorized access within the system. A vulnerability rated as highly risky is the long response time to security incidents that can be up to 72 hours. The recommendations of Fraunhofer Sit include the introduction of an emergency service and the shortening of the reaction periods to improve the safety structures, such as Data protection ticker
While the Gematik has initiated initial measures to remedy these weak points, the complete guarantee of IT security and data protection up to the practical introduction of the EPA remains an unsolved problem.
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