The digital version (e-prescription) is intended to make medication treatment even safer and to make it easier to use in practices, pharmacies and also for patients.
In the future, you should be able to save yourself double trips to the pharmacy or doctor, for example because you have forgotten the prescription or need a simple follow-up prescription in the current billing quarter, at least if the practice sends the follow-up prescription directly digitally to the app. With the electronic prescription (e-prescription), the previous printout can be sent digitally to an app. After the nationwide test phase for electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions), the switch to the electronic use of small paper slips for medical prescriptions will begin on September 1st.
Initially, the e-prescription will start in doctors' practices and hospitals according to a time and regional plan: it will start in Westphalia-Lippe. Regardless of this, practices and hospitals can already use the e-prescription. From now on, pharmacies in Germany can also redeem e-prescriptions across the board and bill them to health insurance companies.
How exactly do I use the e-prescription?
In order to receive and redeem prescriptions electronically, you need the gematik e-prescription app. It is called “The E-Prescription” and is available in common app stores. The app can be downloaded free of charge from the respective app store. However, the smartphone must have at least the iOS 14 or Android 7 operating systems and a so-called NFC (Near Field Communication) function. This enables electronic data transfer between the individual devices and the prescription code can be received and redeemed.
What does the e-prescription include?
In addition to the information about the patient and the prescribing doctor, the so-called prescription codes can be found on it. They contain the information about the respective medication - the code is electronically encrypted.
What do I do if I can't use the e-prescription app?
If you have an older cell phone or do not want to use the app, you can also receive the e-prescription in paper form. The digital version of the medical prescriptions can be accessed in a corresponding app or still received as a paper printout.
What else can the app do?
In addition to redeeming prescriptions, the software should also have other functions. However, you can only use the full range of functions after registering using a new electronic health card (also NFC-enabled) with an associated PIN. These include:
- Find nearby pharmacies and send prescriptions there
- Have medications available for collection at the pharmacy
- Redeem prescriptions for relatives
- Request a courier service from the pharmacy
- Link prescriptions to the electronic medication plan
- Information on taking and dosing medication
By the way: Electronic prescriptions are not sent via the same network as, for example, emails. Healthcare providers use their own healthcare network, which is subject to particularly high security requirements. In addition, the e-prescriptions are locked by a special electronic key so that only the respective doctor, the pharmacy and you can view this data.
Initially it was planned that the e-prescription would start in Schleswig-Holstein in addition to Westphalia-Lippe on September 1st. However, the local association of statutory health insurance physicians withdrew from the planned introduction for the time being.
Source: German Health Portal
More information about the e-prescription , Federal Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry eV
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