8th MVF Congress Workshop: “Vaccination Status 2025”
20.03.2025 14:07
"Section 25b of the German Social Code (SGB V): Opportunities, Obstacles, Solutions" - The online conference took place on June 18, 2025, via Zoom. The presentations, including audio files and the conference video, are now available—subject to approval by the speakers. Simply scroll down.
Managers and those responsible
- Self-help / patient associations
- Health insurance (GKV / PKV)
- Institutions of self-government
- Patient representatives
- Doctors and pharmacists
- Health Professions
- Supply manager
- Federal and state politics
- Pharmaceutical and medical technology companies
- Service providers and consultants
Greetings from the editor
Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Colleagues,
Vaccination rates in Germany are too low. A major opportunity for improving vaccination rates is the relatively new Section 25b of the German Social Code (SGB V).
Since 2021, "Monitor Gesundheitsforschung" has analyzed the reasons for this at seven vaccination conferences (1). We identified and discussed the various reasons why Germany has such great difficulty achieving the targets recommended by the WHO and STIKO for so many vaccine-preventable diseases.
All conferences made it clear that there are a number of obstacles, but also opportunities and possibilities. There are also practical examples of how vaccination rates can actually be increased.
Section 25b of the German Social Code (SGB V) (2) offers a major new opportunity. Since the Health Data Use Act (GDNG) came into force on March 26, 2024, health insurance companies can use the newly introduced Section 25b to "conduct data-based evaluations for the health protection of an insured person and inform the insured person of the results of this evaluation" (paragraph 1). However, this is only permitted for six health risks, including the detection of vaccination indications under Section 20, paragraph 2 of the IfSG.
This passage – vaccination indications for protective vaccinations – is the subject of this 8th online specialist conference „Vaccination Status 2025 – Section 25b SGB V: Opportunities, Obstacles, Solutions“.
At this conference, we want to work with you to identify obstacles, find solutions, and describe the opportunities that arise from this possibility of addressing each insured person in a targeted and individualized manner.
For the first time, the experiences with the measures implemented in 2024 and 2025 on the basis of Section 25b of the Social Code Book V are presented here.
New this time: All participants can submit questions in advance of the online congress, which will then be answered by the speakers in a Q&A session and discussed in plenary.
With kind regards
Your professor Dr. Reinhold Roski
Publisher “Monitor Health Services Research”
Literature:
1 https://t1p.de/b8wz2
2 https://t1p.de/g4qpf
Contact
If you have any questions about the workshop congress, please contact Anke Heiser
- per email to [email protected] or
- by phone at 0228 – 76368033
Speakers & Lectures
Here you will find the speakers (in chronological order) of the conference workshop "Vaccination Status 2025," which will take place online on June 18, 2026, from 2:50 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. The presentations and their audio recordings will be available to anyone interested (once the speakers have approved them). We would, of course, be delighted to welcome any new subscribers who would thereby demonstrate that our work is valued. The documentation of the online event can be found in the issue of MVF (04/25) and in an 8-page special print.
Speaker
Christoph Wagenblast
Department 511 – Fundamental issues of new technologies and data use in the Federal Ministry of Health
Theme
Section 25b SGB V – Clarifications from the perspective of the Federal Ministry of Health
In his presentation, Mr Wagenblast will present the new regulation on the improved use of health data created by the law on the „Data-driven detection of individual health risks“. It explains the objectives pursued by the legislator with Section 25b and the legal requirements that have been established.
Speaker
Matthias Lamberts
DAK Health
Theme
Experiences of the § 25b actions carried out so far by the DAK
„"Prevention is particularly effective when personalized. With Section 25b of the German Social Code (SGB V), DAK-Gesundheit uses routine data to precisely target unvaccinated, high-risk insured persons.
A personal letter gives the message reliable attention that digital reminders often fail to achieve. The presentation explains the multi-stage process from data selection to
It provides a practical overview of the success of the program and provides a practical overview of the legal guidelines. It demonstrates how medicine, data protection, and cost-effectiveness can be reconciled – without restricting the decision-making freedom of insured persons and physicians. Participants receive concrete ideas for their own vaccination and prevention strategies – and learn why targeted letters continue to play an important role even in an increasingly digitalized world of communication.“
Note: An audio file of the lecture is unfortunately not available. The key points can be found in MVF 04/25.
Speaker
Robert Otto
AOK PLUS
Theme
Experiences of the § 25b campaign (HPV) carried out so far by AOK Plus
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections can cause cancer. The HPV vaccination effectively prevents HPV infections, which are responsible for the vast majority of cancers. The HPV vaccination therefore protects against cancer. Since the introduction of the vaccination, there have been numerous changes to the indication groups. To date, satisfactory vaccination rates have not been achieved in Germany. According to an analysis using data from AOK PLUS, at the end of 2023, only 51 percent of 15-year-old girls insured with AOK PLUS and only 32 percent of boys in Saxony had been fully vaccinated against HPV with two doses. In Thuringia, at the same time, 54 percent of girls and 36 percent of boys had been fully vaccinated against HPV. With Section 25b of the Social Code Book V, statutory health insurance funds have had a new tool at their disposal since the beginning of 2024, among other things, to improve vaccination rates. It was therefore logical for AOK PLUS to pilot the implementation of this paragraph using the example of the HPV vaccination. Some interpretation issues had to be assessed before the first action could be completed at the beginning of May 2025.
Speaker
Attorney Dr. Dr. Thomas Ruppel, law firm for medical and health law
Theme
Legal implications of the stratification of the insured clientele according to Section 25b SGB V
Health and long-term care insurance funds are required to inform insured persons, particularly when they identify a specific health risk. This is always the case when there is a sufficient probability of health damage. Information obligations also apply if data analysis reveals that there is a possibility (not probability) of illness or the need for care in the foreseeable future that arises from the individual (life) circumstances of an insured person. In all conceivable cases, medical science and health services research determine when these thresholds are reached from their professional perspective.
As public corporations, health and long-term care insurance funds must always be able to provide a comprehensible explanation of how they arrived at the results of their evaluations and why they made certain information decisions. Therefore, AI may only be used if the AI comprehensibly documents its solution and decision-making process for each individual insured person. Violations of these requirements can trigger claims for information and compensation.
Congress Chair
Prof. Dr. Reinhold Roski
Publisher “Monitor Health Services Research”