Initial Experiences with the Revised Electronic Patient File App
Germany's new electronic patient file (ePA) app has launched, but early user experiences reveal technical issues and a lack of clear error message explanations.
The new German electronic patient file (ePA) has begun to arrive on users' mobile devices following its launch on January 15. However, initial experiences with the revised ePA app, as reported by technology publication Heise Online, indicate several challenges.
Users have reported various technical problems, including connectivity issues with the "communication server," timeouts, and application freezes. There have also been issues with unhelpful or unclear explanations for error messages.
The tested apps from AOK Nordwest and Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) require the creation of a new "health ID" for AOK, while TK does not. Both apps now allow login via biometric data, such as fingerprints, after the initial secure authentication.
Within the app, users can control data visibility. Billing data (Abrechnungsdaten) is loaded into the ePA by default, but users can choose whether to include this data via a slider. The visibility of self-uploaded documents is set to restricted by default.
Physicians, clinics, and pharmacies can be granted access to a patient's ePA, but actual access depends on various factors, including software compatibility. Currently, only specific physicians in test regions can access all ePA data due to security vulnerabilities.