Gassen: “Problems must finally be solved”
29.08.2022 11:34
“The resident colleagues are generally open to digitalization – if it works and makes work easier for the practices. This also applies to the e-prescription. And this shows that we are still miles away from smooth functioning,” explained Dr. Andreas Gassen, Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV).
Together with his board colleagues Dr. Stephan Hofmeister and Dr. Thomas Kriedel referred to the current results of an online survey conducted by the KBV in August among around 4,000 practices. It was about the experiences with the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU), but also with the ePrescription, which will be gradually tested and rolled out in practice from September. Almost ten percent of the medical practices that took part in the survey were already able to gain initial experience with the e-prescription. Biggest point of criticism: The exhibition, including the electronic signature, takes too long.
“The printout with the prescription code, which is required for patients without a prescription app, is also viewed very critically. Many doctors question the sense of digitalization, which produces more paper than before. This reflects the fundamental acceptance problems that digital solutions such as e-prescriptions are not purely digital, but are still linked to paper printouts," explained KBV deputy chairman Dr. Stephan Hofmeister. “In addition, the work processes in the practices are not made easier, but rather they take up significantly more time than before,” he explained.
The most frequently mentioned problems also include redemption in the pharmacy and the lack of acceptance among patients. Older people in particular do not understand the change. Currently, the e-prescription usually has to be printed out because very few insured people have the NFC-enabled electronic health card required to use the app. It is currently still unclear when it will be possible for insured persons to redeem the e-prescription at the pharmacy using only their old, existing electronic health card (eGK). “We must definitely bring forward the solution that was only planned by gematik and the pharmacy management systems (AVS) from 2023 onwards, namely that e-prescriptions can also be redeemed directly in the pharmacy via the eGK. Gematik and AVS must now implement this option as quickly as possible,” demanded KBV board member Dr. Thomas Kriedel. “The problems must finally be solved. We can no longer look the other way and pretend that everything is going well,” he added.
“We also need to clarify the question of how appropriate data protection can be achieved. In the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, the state data protection officer has prohibited email-based implementation of e-prescriptions, thereby making it impossible for a transport route tailored to the patient. This means that the acceptance of digital applications is decreasing not only among doctors, but also among patients,” said KBV boss Gassen in conclusion.