AOK One third of insured persons entitled to a medication plan

Many insured persons are entitled to a medication plan from October
The introduction of the right to a medication plan is expected to affect a large proportion of insured persons over the age of 75 years. As part of the eHealth Act 2015, a corresponding claim is made for insured persons to take at least three medicines at the same time. The Scientific Institute of the AOK (WIdO) has examined how many insured persons would be affected by the AOK. It became clear that almost one third of all AOK insured persons fulfilled the requirement. The proportion among the older insured persons was particularly high.

The claim to a medication plan when taking multiple medicines at the same time should reduce the number of deaths due to dangerous drug interactions, the AOK explains. Patients who are prescribed three or more medicines at the same time will therefore be entitled to such a plan from October 2016. In the opinion of the Scientific Institute of the AOK, this applies in particular to many older insured persons. As a rule, the medication plan is prepared by the family doctor, according to the AOK communication.

If patients take at least three drugs at the same time, they will be entitled to a medication plan in the future. (Image: denisismagilov / fotolia.com)

7.5 million AOK insured persons meet the requirements
According to the calculations of the WIdO, as of October, three-quarters of over 75-year-old AOK insured persons will be entitled to a medication plan. According to the AOK, the insured persons in this age group "receive on average five different active ingredients or combinations of active ingredients." The prerequisite for the right to a medication plan would already have been fulfilled with three simultaneous prescriptions. Based on the performance data for 2014 of more than 24 million AOK insured persons, the WIdO estimated that about 30 percent or almost one in three insured persons are entitled to the medication plan. This is just under 7.5 million insured, according to the statement of the AOK. The majority of these patients are older than 65 years.

It remains open, according to the AOK, whether all eligible insured persons are actually claiming a medication plan and the estimate is based on the drug billing data, so the actual use and dosage of the medication need not automatically be the same. But it is clear that here can be a significant effort on the family doctor.

Claim for the medication plan
For the time being, the medication plan will only be available on paper, according to the agreement between the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, the German Medical Association and the German Association of Pharmacists in a corresponding framework agreement. Among other things, the medication plan should contain "information on the active substance, trade name, strength, pharmaceutical form and dosage as well as possible instructions for use", reports the AOK. Insured persons are recommended to assert their claim in any case, in particular in order to minimize risks through possible interactions. (Fp)