Persistent Issues with E-prescription: Pharmacists Voice Their Concerns Over Regular Malfunctions - Pharmacists voice concerns over persistent issues with e-prescription, likening the system's reliability to that of a faltering railway.
In the heart of Germany's digital healthcare revolution, the e-prescription system, intended to streamline medication management, has been beset by persistent issues. The system, implemented nationwide since January 1, 2024, has been plagued by frequent outages, downtime, and disruptions, causing frustration for pharmacists, patients, and healthcare providers alike.
These recurring problems have escalated in recent months, with several days of complete or significant system failures affecting tens of thousands of patients, and causing pharmacies to struggle in providing timely medication. The system's unreliability has even been compared unfavourably to Deutsche Bahn's delays, with pharmacists warning that unavailable e-prescriptions can have serious health consequences.
The root causes of these disruptions are multifaceted. Issues with external service providers such as Medisign, which affects the ability of doctors to sign e-prescriptions, and outages in the telematics infrastructure that also impact electronic health records and other health services, are significant contributors. These disruptions reduce access for doctors, pharmacies, and patients, adding workload to an already burdened healthcare system and undermining trust in digital solutions.
Pharmacists, represented by Thomas Preis and the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA), have called upon the federal digital agency Gematik to urgently improve the system's stability and robustness. They also advocate for more flexibility during outages, allowing pharmacies to supply medication quickly and without bureaucratic hurdles when the digital system is down.
Gematik acknowledges the need for enhancements but has yet to fully resolve recurring issues. Elderly and immobile people, in particular, face difficulties due to outages in the e-prescription system. To address these concerns, Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has been urged to take action, including instructing Gematik to submit a monthly disruption report.
In the meantime, doctors have the option to issue a paper prescription if the e-prescription system is not functioning. Patients can redeem an e-prescription at the pharmacy using their health card, a special app, or a printout with the e-prescription code. Taxi vouchers should be paid for by health insurance companies in cases of e-prescription outages.
In summary, the main current issues are:
- Frequent and recurring system outages and disruptions
- Dependence on external service providers whose failures affect the system
- Impact on patient care due to unavailable prescriptions
- Increased burden on pharmacies and healthcare professionals
The proposed and ongoing solutions are:
- Urgent improvements in system stability and reliability by Gematik
- Greater operational flexibility for pharmacies to issue medications during downtimes
- Addressing and monitoring external service provider performance more effectively
These steps aim to reduce disruptions and improve patient and pharmacist confidence in the e-prescription system, thereby supporting the broader digitization goals of the German healthcare system.
- The e-prescription system, implemented across EC countries, faces similar issues as Germany’s, with recurring outages and disruptions causing concerns for patients, pharmacists, and healthcare providers.
- In light of these problems, advocacy groups suggest implementing vocational training programs for healthcare professionals, aiming to improve their understanding of technology and its applications in medical-conditions management.
- The need for effective general-news dissemination of health-and-wellness issues, including updates on the digitalization of medical conditions and associated technology, is critical to ensuring timely information and public awareness.
