16.02.2024 – 10:00
Freie Ärzteschaft eV
food (ots)
Since 2021, politicians have been introducing an electronic patient file (ePA) for those with statutory health insurance. Since then, the Free Medical Association (FÄ) has consistently and regularly positioned itself against it and is now finding more and more allies. With the ePA, the data would no longer be managed by practices and clinics – and under their obligation of confidentiality – or in the hands of patients, but by IT companies in central clouds. Not even one percent of citizens have so far taken advantage of this initially voluntary offer because they apparently didn’t see any benefit either.
Under pressure from the Federal Ministry of Health and for the benefit of the commercial interests of the healthcare and IT industry, the voluntary solution (active consent, opt-in) with regard to the electronic patient file (ePA) is now being converted into an active objection solution (opt-out) for everyone – with mandatory Wieland Dietrich, 1st Chairman of the Free Medical Association (FÄ), criticizes the introduction of patient files from 2025.
Criticism of ePA is growing on all sides
The Essen dermatologist knows that this new “specification” for the new “ePA for all” is now being unanimously rejected by the service provider associations in the healthcare sector. In an unusual joint press release, official representatives of doctors, pharmacists, dentists and clinics recently pointed out serious errors in EHR planning. Main points of criticism: Without a full-text search, handling the file is not practical and without a central virus scanner the data is not secure. Acceptance on the patient side is also decreasing, Dietrich continued: “In recent surveys, more than half of citizens are not convinced that the voluntary nature of patient records should be effectively abolished through the “opt-out.”
“Data security and medical confidentiality are the foundations of our medical work and a protected space of trust in practices and clinics is a prerequisite for every type of medicine,” emphasizes FÄ Vice-Chairwoman Dr. Silke Lüder. The Hamburg general practitioner continued: “If patients can no longer be sure that what they tell us in practices and clinics remains confidential under our obligation of confidentiality, then we can no longer make appropriate diagnoses – and ultimately no longer correctly treat.
“Lauterbach is causing more and more damage to medicine”
Lüder criticizes that Health Minister Lauterbach is so far removed from medical work that he is causing more and more damage to medicine with his billion-dollar plans. “He dreams of a future where everything from the consulting room is automatically transferred to the cloud and where artificial intelligence will then tell you what happens next. An absurd idea, but one that the minister is consistently pursuing.” After all, in medicine, people acted for people.
The new “ePA for all”, which will be imposed on doctors and patients from 2025, is already doomed to failure, but will cost billions, adds Wieland Dietrich. The EU Commission’s plan to have the health data of all EU citizens stored centrally at large IT companies in the future, thereby creating a new “EU data room”, is also particularly sensitive. The EU Parliament, Commission and Council are currently discussing whether citizens will have the right to object in this regard – the outcome is uncertain.
Voluntariness and data protection as the basis of good doctor-patient communication
“The theft of personal illness data is primarily in the economic interest of the healthcare industry and IT companies and medicine for European citizens will not be improved as a result!”, continued the FÄ chairman. The numerous hacker attacks on clinics and other critical infrastructure in recent months clearly speak against centralized mass storage and instead in favor of decentralized security of health data. “As long as the primary goal is not to improve communication between treating doctors and patients while guaranteeing voluntary action and data protection, we advise all patients and doctors against using the new EHR,” summarizes Dietrich.
About the Free Medical Association eV
The Free Medical Association e. V. (FÄ) is an association that defends the medical profession as a freelance profession. It was founded in 2004 and primarily represents general practitioners and specialists as well as various medical networks. The chairman of the federal association is Wieland Dietrich, a dermatologist in Essen. The aim of the FÄ is independent medicine in which the patient and doctor are the focus and medical confidentiality is maintained.
Press contact:
V.i. S.d. P.: Wieland Dietrich, Free Medical Association,
Chairman, Gervinusstraße 10, 45144 Essen, Tel.: 0201 68586090,
E-Mail: [email protected], www.freie-aerzteschaft.de
Original content from: Freie Ärzteschaft eV, transmitted by news aktuell