Health Apps on the recipe

Patients should get certain health Apps for mobile phones in the future of the health insurance company paid – if the doctor prescribes. The draft law of the Federal Minister of health, Jens Spahn (CDU) provides that the Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday on the way.

It is, for example, to applications that help regular Taking of medications or with blood glucose levels documented. The law should take effect in January 2020. In the Bundesrat it is not subject to approval.

According to the Ministry, the Apps need to be tested by the Federal Institute for drugs and medical devices (Bfarm) on data security, privacy, and functionality, before patients get the costs reimbursed. After this test, the manufacturer’s have a year of time, the Bfarm to demonstrate that the App will improve the care of patients. How much money does the manufacturer receive, negotiate with the GKV-spitzenverband.

The law plans also aim for more digital offerings forward. So, patients will be able to easier for physician practices to find the video intercom to offer hours.

The Threat Of Fee Deduction

Pharmacies and hospitals are obliged, until the end of September 2020, or 1. To January 2021 at the telematics infrastructure, connecting, informs the Ministry. This would allow you, for example, electronic doctors ‘ letters to be exchanged. Doctors who refuse, will need a increased fee deduction of 2.5 percent from 1. March 2020 in purchasing. Previously, he was a percent.

“Artificial intelligence, digital applications will not replace Doctors,” said health Minister Spahn in the “morning magazine” of the ARD. “But the Doctors, the use of digital applications, to replace the Doctors that are still working with index cards,” added the CDU politician.

Not all Doctors are enthusiastic about Spahns digitisation plans. In may, doctors have warned in an open letter to Spahn, patient data were not adequately protected against hacker attacks.

The health policy spokesperson of the Greens, Maria Klein-Schmeink, said the draft law was only a “stripped down Version”: “Because the Insured have no option for privacy settings, lack of pressure from the Ministry of justice, all of the provisions of the electronic patient file. In order for the act to Start just a useless dummy, because the Insured will have no claim, that the provider is the storage place for data.”

It calls on Spahn, “to ensure swiftly that the Insured’s privacy settings in the file”.