German eHealth projects must cause pain. Numerous partially failed examples such as the e-prescription or the electronic patient file testified and testify to this apparently irrefutable truth. At this point, however, no general political digitization bashing should follow. No, rather there has been a project since the beginning of the year that is actually generally mandatory and that threatens to shake this generally applicable rule because it was introduced surprisingly quietly. And it also works quite well technically now. Almost scary, this eAU. But stop, it’s all happening way too fast – way too much effort and altogether surprising in various facets, according to the Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses. So German eHealth projects must cause pain after all.
Moritz Foerster )
Jonas Volkert is an editor at iX and also writes for heise online. He is mainly responsible for the areas of careers, e-health and e-government.
The electronic certificate of incapacity for work (thankfully the abbreviation eAU has established itself for the word monster) is probably the one eHealth project on which (almost) everyone was able to agree at some point. Of course, you are also late with the digital sick note in this country, analogue processes including letter dispatch have long seemed antiquated. The new digital sick notifications, almost paper-free, therefore seemed sensible to all those involved in the healthcare system. Incidentally, this even applies to the Federal Association of SMEs, as it concedes in its complaint shortly after the mandatory introduction. And yet this is all happening way too fast.
Resistance by default – for free!
The fact that industry associations like to go into general opposition when there is a threat of additional expense for their clientele: free, that’s also their job to a certain extent. At best, however, they do so with arguments that could convince someone. Only this time, with the best will in the world, that is not the case. On the one hand, there is the economic argument. Due to slower processes and more generous deadlines, employers no longer know how long employees will be absent. The companies would therefore have to build up more reserves – and that in these economically uncertain times …!
Admittedly, as an IT journalist, I don’t have the sufficient expertise to undermine such a business administration argument. However, it doesn’t really make sense to me – employees had to call in sick earlier. Back then, as little was known today as to how long one would then definitely be absent. And the fact that it is now only recommended that employees report sick to the health insurance company one day after they have seen the doctor shouldn’t make the financial herb fat either.
On the other hand, there is the argument that employers were caught off guard by the introduction and that the necessary internal processes have not yet been established. The industry association is therefore calling for longer transition periods. Such a major project from one moment to the next is far too complex for German SMEs. After all, sick leave processes including a yellow note have been established over decades. Rethinking takes time.
Misplaced surprise claims
What every observer should notice, even without knowledge of the industry: none of these were secrets that were only released on December 31st and that took the company by surprise on January 2nd. The deadlines and processes for the planned eAU introduction have been known for a long time. Not least because of course the eAU is anything but a picture book success story of the digitized healthcare system. This is one of the reasons why employers have had the opportunity to try out the new procedure since the beginning of 2022. Apparently very few have done so. Towards the end of the year, the health insurance companies were also surprised at the lack of interest on the part of companies in the information material on the new procedure. If you don’t get out of hand yourself, you really shouldn’t complain afterwards.
This comment is an advance publication of the editorial of the printed iX 2/2023, which will be published on January 26th. Don’t want to miss anything when the new issue comes out? Subscribe to the free iX newsletter here.
(jvo)
