Electronic health card at the AOK Plus

AOK Plus introduces Electronic Health Card

15/08/2011

The introduction of the electronic health card (eGK) is progressing. In the coming months, according to the plans of the legislature, the eGK will gradually replace the previous health insurance cards. Already at the beginning of the year, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), the Dentists' Association (KZBV) and the Federal Association of Statutory Health Insurance had agreed on a procedure for the introduction of the eGK.

AOK PLUS launches the electronic health card
The new electronic health card should provide significantly better protection against abuse and, for example, also enable the storage of emergency data, so the argument for the introduction of the eGK. Among other things, the new card will contain a photo of the insured, for which AOK PLUS is currently requesting the insured to submit passport photos. Since today, the AOK PLUS in Saxony and Thuringia sent first letters to their insured, in which „all written on“ to be called „either to send a passport photo by mail or via the Internet. Only then can the new chip card, which is much safer than the old one, be successfully introduced“, explained the chairman of the board of AOK PLUS, Rolf Steinbronn. Thus, the health insurance hopes to be able to equip all insured with the new health card by spring 2013 at the latest. Until the new electronic health cards are handed over to the insured, the old health insurance cards remain valid, according to the AOK PLUS. In order to ensure that all insured persons submit a picture in good time that meets today's requirements for a passport photo, all AOK members are requested to submit such a passport photo in appropriate cover letters, explained Steinbronn.

Improve treatment and optimize cost control
The insurance companies and physicians hope that the future of the eGK will allow these doctors to exchange findings and information about their patients via the online card terminals. Whether this will actually benefit patients, remains to be seen. Although theoretically there is the possibility of improving medical care, however, critics fear that the emphasis will be more on detecting cases of card misuse than on optimizing the treatment. Thus, the statutory health insurance still have to prove that the new systems will improve medical services for their insured and not only use the eGK to better control their bills in the future. (Fp)

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Image: AOK pattern