The lack of chips will probably also affect the distribution of the electronic health card. The latest generation should be shipped by 2023 at the latest.
The tense situation on the semiconductor market caused by the corona crisis and the associated delivery bottlenecks could also affect the issue of electronic health cards (eGK). A processor chip card is built into the cards. When asked about the different health insurance companies, a different picture emerged.
The AOK, the largest insurer, stated that it was again affected by an acute shortage of chips, among other things due to the Shanghai lockdown. Although the Barmer and the IKK see the possibility of problems, there is currently no shortage for them. The IKK does not rule out possible delivery bottlenecks. However, no bottlenecks are seen in the case of technicians.
In the meantime, the federal government has responded to a small inquiry from the CDU/CSU about a possible lack of chips for the production of electronic health cards. The federal government takes the issue very seriously and is in regular contact with the Society for Telematics, which in turn is informed of delivery bottlenecks by the card manufacturers at an early stage. The responsibility lies with the health insurance companies, which “the inconveniences […] as low as possible for the insured”.
So far only a few policyholders have been affected
The AOK points out that those with statutory health insurance would not suffer any disadvantages as a result of the bottleneck. “During the transition period, you will receive a so-called ‘substitute certificate’ from your statutory health insurance company, which you can present instead of the eGK when you visit a doctor or dentist. As before, the services will be provided by the doctor or dentist and directly with the responsible health insurance company or the association of statutory health insurance physicians billed.”, according to the AOK.
So far, however, these certificates have only been issued “in a few exceptional cases and in individual regions”. Due to the ongoing supply bottlenecks, the AOK insurance companies expect to have to issue more replacement certificates over the course of the summer.
eGK requirement for e-prescription app
Since version 2.1 of the electronic health card is a prerequisite for the e-prescription app, this could also delay the planned introduction of the e-prescription. A PIN from the health insurance company and an NFC-enabled smartphone with at least Android 7 or iOS 14 are also required. However, some health insurance companies offer cardless registration using Fasttrack, which apparently does not yet work smoothly with all health insurance companies. In addition, this type of registration requires the app for the electronic patient file (ePA) of the respective health insurance company, for which the insured person must carry out a video identification procedure.
