Germany's Digital Health Act (GeDIG) Reveals Challenges and Technical Foundation
Das GeDIG erklärt: Digitalisierung mit offenen Fragen - elektroniknet
Summary
The German Bundestag passed a new law (GeDIG) concerning electronic patient records and data usage. This advances the standard technical infrastructure for sharing clinical information, but securing public trust regarding data usage remains the primary challenge.
Details
This article explains Germany's Digital Health Act (GeDIG). The law aims to develop the Electronic Patient Record (ePA) into a central platform, phasing out fax and paper exchanges, and promoting data utilization for prevention, care, and research. Technically, the mandatory use of electronic referrals in FHIR format via the Telematics Infrastructure is groundbreaking, enabling structured information sharing. The ePA adopts a decentralized storage model—kept by respective insurers and providers—while allowing feature expansion through APIs. Furthermore, the establishment of the Research Data Center (FDZ) allows access to anonymized cohort data via standardized APIs, accelerating large-scale epidemiological studies and Real-World Evidence validation. These initiatives are built upon interoperability and standardized data linkage using standards like FHIR.
Original content copyright by respective publishers