- Criticism mounts over recurring issues with e-prescriptions; association advocates for a reliable digital system instead
In recent times, the reliability of Germany's E-prescription system has come under scrutiny, with numerous outages and impairments affecting tens of thousands of patients. The Association of German Pharmacists (ABDA) and patient advocacy groups are urging for changes to address these issues.
The Federal Association of Pharmacists, led by Thomas Preis, has called on Gematik (the national digital agency responsible for the system) to significantly enhance the stability and reliability of the E-prescription system and its underlying telematics infrastructure. This includes technical improvements to reduce the frequency and duration of outages that have recently caused multiple days of complete service failures.
Pharmacists have also requested greater flexibility during times of system failure. This would allow them to promptly and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles supply necessary medications to patients, ensuring continuity of care even when the digital system is down.
The German Foundation for Patient Protection has advocated for an early warning system—a "daily E-prescription radar"—to inform doctors and pharmacies about the operational status of the system. This would enable practitioners to decide whether to issue paper prescriptions in advance of disruptions. They also called for Gematik to publish monthly reports on system outages to increase transparency and accountability.
Some pharmacy stakeholders are exploring legal measures or claims for compensation against Gematik for operational losses caused by disruptions, as the system's instability impacts pharmacy business and patient care.
Gematik has acknowledged that many outages stem from problems with external service providers and is presumably working on resolving these supplier-related faults to improve the overall service continuity.
Last Wednesday, there were nationwide disruptions in the E-prescription system, emphasizing the need for maximum reliability in digital applications for electronic prescriptions. The head of the Pharmacists' Association, Thomas Preis, reiterated this need, stating that Gematik must ensure a stable system for pharmacies and medical practices to operate in.
In the past two weeks, there have been complete outages or significant impairments in the E-prescription system or the underlying telematics infrastructure on five days. Stakeholders demand a multifaceted approach: technical upgrades to the digital infrastructure, operational flexibility during failures, improved communication and transparency, and accountability measures to restore trust and ensure patient access to medication despite digital challenges.
- The EC countries, recognizing the importance of maintaining a stable health-and-wellness system, should consider implementing vocational training programs focused on enhancing the technical capabilities of their digital agencies, akin to Germany's Gematik, to minimize medical-conditions caused by E-prescription system outages.
- As the E-prescription system in Germany evolves, incorporating advanced technology like AI and machine learning into the vocational training of its professionals could help in early detection and prediction of potential system failures, improving both health-and-wellness and the associated patient protection.
