01.08.2023 – 11:11
AOK Federal Association
Berlin (ots)
The digital transformation of healthcare needs to take a big leap forward. With the draft bill for a law to accelerate the digitization of the healthcare system (DigiG), this can succeed if a few things are improved. “Especially as far as the further development of the electronic patient file is concerned, the law can act like a catalyst,” says Dr. Carola Reimann, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the AOK Federal Association, is convinced. The draft has the potential to help the ePA achieve a breakthrough in practice, says Reimann at today’s association hearing of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The AOK community believes that the introduction of the opt-out procedure in combination with a simplified authentication procedure for the electronic patient file (ePA) is real progress. With the storage of the electronic patient summary and the medication plan in the ePA, the expansion to the central platform for insured persons is being pushed further. This creates real added value for the patients, but also for the doctors treating them. “But it would be logical to extend this approach to emergency data as well. The option to save data on the electronic health card (eGK) that already exists today is hardly ever used and causes unnecessary bureaucracy,” criticizes the AOK board member.
The problem of easy initial access for insured persons to the ePA remains unsolved. The AOK Federal Association advocates replacing the dual structure of the electronic health card (eGK) and PIN with the new electronic ID card. The focus on a simple procedure facilitates access for the insured and prevents the inefficient use of insured funds. Reimann describes the plan that the statutory health insurance companies should scan older paper documents from insured persons and transfer them to the ePA as irritating. The filling of the ePA should not be the task of the health insurance companies, but is basically in the hands of the patients and the treating physicians.
No to the expansion of DiGAs to medical devices of a higher risk class
The AOK Federal Association rejects the extension of the entitlement to benefits from digital health applications (DiGAs) to medical devices of higher risk classes. “The use of risky DiGAs without proof of benefit endangers patient safety,” criticizes Reimann. Before these can be treated, a prior benefit assessment is absolutely necessary. In view of the scarce financial resources of the statutory health insurance (GKV), the money of the contributors may only be used for applications whose benefit has been clearly scientifically proven.
Unlimited continuation of the innovation fund is rejected
According to the draft bill, the innovation fund, which is financed from contributions from statutory health insurance, is to be permanently established and the repayment of funds that are not required, which was originally planned for the end of 2024, is to be cancelled. The AOK Federal Association also rejects this. “There are considerable doubts about the effectiveness and efficiency of the innovation fund. That is why an unchanged and unlimited continuation is the wrong way. In addition, the transferability of the funds should be limited to a maximum of 10 million euros per year,” said the AOK board member. In addition, the funding for the new forms of care has not been exhausted since 2020, so that a reduction in the funding budget to 100 million per year would be appropriate. Against this background, the planned unlimited transferability of the funding is not responsible.
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Original content from: AOK Federal Association, transmitted by news aktuell