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Doctors newspaper online, 28.08.2019
Barmer
Doctors warn of an unthinking use of health apps in care. But a boss of the treasury sees exactly in it an important supplement.
By Anno Fricke
Health Care via Smartphone? This trend is increasingly developing momentum.
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BERLIN. In the run-up to the parliamentary deliberations on Digitale Versorgungsgesetz (DVG), physicians and health insurances are taking precautionary positions. The planned apps on cash costs provide for discussion.
Neurologists and psychotherapists have warned against too much laissez-faire this week about introducing digital health applications.
"To protect patients, it must be ensured that health apps complement the medical therapeutic treatment plan and comply with regulated evidence-based quality criteria," states a statement from the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology.
The federations defend themselves against plans of Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU), to enable the employment of digital health applications without regulation by a physician or psychotherapist.
"At the expense of the solidarity community, there must be no economic development," says the paper. However, the fact that doctors and psychotherapists may prescribe apps in the future is met with approval from specialist associations.
Digital applications swiftly into supply
The stated goal of the grand coalition is to bring digital applications "quickly into the supply". This is what the Cabinet bill says, which will now go to the parliamentary deliberations.
However, the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV) rejects a benefit claim of the insured on all digital applications. The claim should relate exclusively to medically-led, therapy-supporting or -begleitende applications, is called it in the opinion of the KBV to the bill.
The physicians receive protection at this point from the Federal Insurance Office (BVA), which is currently claiming medical treatment in the case of mental illness.
Criticism comes from Kassenseite: "The BVA was not always ready to take the momentum, which the Federal Government had taken up in their digital agenda, and to support us in the same courtesy and openness in these innovations in the direction of the insured on the Barmer leader Professor Christoph Straub said Wednesday in Berlin.
Straub: Doctors' Provisions Are Not Valid
For Straub, himself a doctor, the doctor's prescription is not valid. When validating apps, it was noted that there were groups of patients who did not go to the doctor or psychotherapist, but did use online products.
"Then it's difficult to say: You can do that, but only if the traditional system makes a diagnosis in advance," said the CEO of the country's second largest health insurance company. So you do not reach what the digital world makes possible, namely a target group that wants to use other offers.
The political debate over the digitization law does not restrain the process of digitalization. The Barmer presented a sickness tracker on Wednesday, which should be available to the insured from the late year. The question as to when sickness benefits go into the account is one of the "most time-sensitive benefits", said Straub.
View of processing status
Among other things, the app gives the insured an insight into the internal processing status of the sick pay application. The philosophy behind it is to filter out meaningful products from the immeasurably broad market and make them accessible to the insured.
"Only then will insured people say that Barmer now functions like a platform where I book flights, book hotels or order something," said Straub.
After some 15,000 out of 158,000 first-time claimants claim care services in the year around 130,000 at the Barmer and ask for help in completing the 14-page application, the Barmer has provided an electronic form, which, according to the responsible head of department Dr. med. Let Regina Vetters fill out in just a few minutes.
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