Next steps with the e-prescription: The Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians of Westphalia-Lippe (KVWL) and Schleswig-Holstein (KVSH) want to continue testing the e-prescription in September. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach had announced a “binding start” of the e-prescription for 2024. According to KVSH press spokesman Marco Dethlefsen, the expected start date is only realistic if the e-prescription can be redeemed with the electronic health card (eGK).
Due to possible problems, he considers a “staggered rollout” to be unavoidable. They want to “closely monitor and support” the process in order to identify disruptions in the process at an early stage. So far, Dethlefsen has not seen that the e-prescription saves people in rural areas. In addition, the health insurance companies would make no effort to familiarize their policyholders with the e-prescription app from Gematik, which is responsible for digitization.
Test phase strengthened from September
The KVWL is confident that it will be able to gain many more rollout partners for the “new test phase”. She is “ready to continue the rollout of the e-prescription in Westphalia-Lippe from September,” says KVWL board member Thomas Müller. For the new “trial phase” Müller wants to win more partners. One does not want to wait until the mandatory start in January 2024, because an unprepared introduction could lead to problems.
Doctors throughout Germany can offer e-prescriptions, but there has not yet been a breakthrough. One reason for this is the authentication required to use the e-prescription app. On the part of the doctors and pharmacies in 2023, the two test regions KVSH and KVWL were primarily involved in the introduction of the e-prescription. An association founded in 2022 also wants to give the e-prescription a helping hand: the e-prescription enthusiasts.
(mack)
