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Covid-19 slows Germany’s EPR roll-out

The roll out of Germany's electronic patient record (EPR) programme began on January 1st. However implementation of the programme now looks likely to be delayed by the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

Germany's EPR programme is behind schedule as it is. Field tests have only just started in some states. The majority of GPs, family doctors and specialists cannot make entries into the EPR system. It is likely to be July before Germany has national EPR coverage.

However the coronavirus situation has added an additional barrier to the EPR roll out.

German lawmakers, and the public, have demanded high security standards for the EPR. There have been significant concerns over privacy and the possibility of data loss.

As a result of these concerns, the identity of an individual has to be verified in person at a local branch office of one of the health insurance funds before an EPR for that individual can be activated.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, branch offices are closed. The health insurance funds are advising their customers to wait until after the lockdown period is ended before attempting to activate the EPR records.

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