Electronic health card starts in Saxony

Introduction of the electronic health card starts in Saxony

24.03.2011

The introduction of the sometimes controversial electronic health card (eGK) in Saxony is imminent. The persons in charge of the statutory health insurance funds, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVS) and the Kassenzahnärztlichen Vereinigung (KZVS) in Saxony have agreed on a framework agreement on the financing of the practice equipment with card readers.

In Saxony, the introduction of the electronic health card (eGK) will start in April. The costs for the acquisition of the card readers, their installation and the adaptation of the practice software is financed by the health insurance with a lump sum. This is an essential critical point, which had delayed the already planned for the year 2006 introduction of the electronic health card again and again, from the table: The lump sum ensures that there are no financial disadvantages for the doctors. However, concerns about data security have not been fully addressed.

Doctors receive lump sums for card readers
With the framework agreement between the statutory health insurance funds, the KVS and the KZVS, nothing stands in the way of the introduction of the eGK in Saxony, the working group SaxMediCard commented on the current decision. The financing of the practice equipment with card readers is therefore taken over in the form of lump sums by the health insurance companies. The approximately 6,600 physicians and 2,000 dentists in Saxony receive for orders, which are made until 30 September 2011, a lump sum of 355 euros for a stationary card reader and 280 euros for a mobile. In addition, they will be reimbursed once for the installation and customization of the practice software up to 215 €. The Saxon doctors will be able to obtain the aforementioned equipment from April and then apply for reimbursement of the costs. In the Saxon hospitals, the acquisition of readers was started after the budget negotiations in 2009/10.

Rapid introduction of the electronic health card planned
In view of the current framework agreement, the SaxMediCard consortium was confident that it would be possible to reach the target of equipping one tenth of the insured with the eGK by the Federal Government in the GKV Financing Act in Saxony. Due to the swift agreement on the appropriate flat-rate costs, nothing stands in the way of the introduction of the eGK, according to the conclusion of the working group. The doctors are now preparing for a speedy implementation of political decisions and, for example, the KZVS has already set up a hotline for questions on the purchase of card readers. The privacy concerns, which were frequently mentioned earlier, seem to have been forgotten spontaneously since the agreement on financing has been reached. The health insurers, in turn, also show a clear increase in interest in introducing the electronic health card as soon as possible, since it has been reduced by two per cent of health fund administrative costs, unless it reaches at least ten per cent by the end of the year Insured have issued the new eGK. From October 2011, according to the decisions of the Federal Government, the electronic health card will be distributed nationwide to insured persons.

Storage of patient data on the electronic health card
In contrast to the previous chip cards of the health insurance companies, the electronic health card will in the future be used to store essential medical data for the treatment of patients in the long term and, in addition, to be clearly identifiable by a photograph. It is conceivable, for example, to store emergency data or recipes directly on the eGK. However, protecting personal information is one of the key issues for privacy professionals because they believe unauthorized people could gain access to the data and misuse it for other purposes. True, Dr. the President of the Medical Association, Franz-Joseph Bartmann, to dispel such concerns when he emphasizes that the eGK works only as a key, without the medical records and patient data can not be read. But there remain doubts. Because time and again media report data theft also from highly sensitive areas. Another starting point for the critics are the costs associated with the introduction of the eGK. Without real benefits for the insured to offer, the health insurance companies will be charged several million euros for the introduction of the eGK, so the charge of critical experts.

Possible benefits of the electronic health card
After the introduction of the eGK had been delayed again and again since 2006, the Federal Government decided last year to introduce a reduced version of the eGK in the fourth quarter of 2011. For the time being, only the so-called master data of the insured are stored on the card now being provided and compared online in order to prevent possible card misuse. In addition, the storage of emergency data on the eGK is possible, if the insured wish it, said the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians at the beginning of the year. However, after the comprehensive introduction of the eGK, it is planned to expand this so that doctors can exchange medical findings and information about their patients via the online card terminals. As a result, the managers hope for a significant improvement in the treatment, but it remains to be seen whether this will actually occur. Critics fear that the eGK will be used more to detect cases of card misuse than to improve medical care. It should also be proven for statutory health insurance companies that the new system will increase medical benefits for their insured and that the eGK will not only be used to better control doctors' bills in the future. (Fp)

Also read:
Electronic health card from October 2011
Chaos expected with new health card
Warning of electronic health card
Privacy Policy Electronic Health Card?
FDP for introduction of the new health card