Pharmacy employees air grievances over issues within the digital prescription service
The e-prescription system, set to become mandatory for prescription medications in Germany from January 2024, has been plagued by frequent technical failures and disruptions, causing significant challenges for pharmacies and patients.
Recent months have seen multiple days of complete or partial outages, impeding access to e-prescriptions and electronic patient records, causing operational challenges and potential health risks. These disruptions have been particularly problematic for patients who rely on electronic prescriptions, with pharmacists and healthcare providers complaining that they prevent timely medication access.
The issues with the e-prescription system's reliability are partly due to technical problems with the telematics infrastructure (TI) gateways managed by external service providers. Gematik, the responsible society for the e-prescription system, has acknowledged these problems and is working to resolve them.
To improve the system's reliability, several measures are being proposed or implemented. Gematik is urged to enhance system stability and reduce outages urgently. Pharmacists are requesting more regulatory flexibility for dispensing medications during system downtimes, to ensure patients receive timely treatment without bureaucratic delays. Some stakeholders are even exploring potential legal actions against Gematik, seeking compensation for losses caused by service disruptions.
There is a recognized need for robust infrastructure and better oversight of external service providers to prevent future outages and improve the digital health system’s resilience. The German Foundation for Patient Protection has demanded an early warning system for disruptions in the e-prescription system, while a "daily e-prescription radar" has been proposed to directly inform doctors if the system is functioning or a paper prescription must be issued.
Eugen Brysch, board member of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, has stated that the "era of the black box e-prescription" should end immediately, and has demanded that Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) instructs Gematik to submit a monthly disruption report. Thomas Preis, the head of the Federal Association of Pharmacies, has compared the e-prescription system's reliability to that of the Deutsche Bahn train service, stating that it has become very unreliable.
Despite these challenges, the e-prescription system's goal is to provide more comfort and fewer trips to the doctor's office. Patients who prefer a paper printout can still opt for this method. As Gematik continues to work on improving the system's reliability and stability, it is crucial that measures are taken to ensure the system functions smoothly and consistently for the benefit of both patients and pharmacists.
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The e-prescription system's technical failures and disruptions, affecting health-and-wellness and medical-conditions management, highlight the need for technology advancements to ensure system reliability. To address this concern, multiple proposals are underway, including enhancing system stability and reducing outages, and implementing an early warning system to prevent future disruptions. [Source 1, 2, 3]
Stakeholders like pharmacists and the German Foundation for Patient Protection are advocating for increased regulatory flexibility, potential legal actions, and monthly disruption reports from Gematik, the responsible society for the e-prescription system, to improve its resilience. [Source 1, 2] These actions aim to reduce service interruptions and guarantee timely medication access for patients. [Source 1]
