Hospital.Help

Berlin doctors want to work more digitally. This was emphasized by the deputy chairwoman of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Berlin (KV), Christiane Wessel, yesterday at the kv.digital anniversary celebration in Berlin’s Tiergarten.

They often have no other choice, especially when it comes to the shortage of skilled workers. However, the frustration is great when something doesn’t work with the telematics infrastructure (TI). This is difficult to get back on track, says Wessel.

Philipp Stachwitz, head of the digitization department at the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), also emphasized the need for doctors to have applications that work.

The kv.connect application from kv.digital has been well received by doctors, said Irmgard Landgraf, a practicing physician. It is a secure, data protection-compliant communication service from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVen). However, this application is to be discontinued soon and will be replaced by the KIM (communication in the medical sector) email standard from Gematik.

However, the main drivers of digitization in doctor’s offices are medical assistants, Landgraf continued. They are the ones who most clearly feel the relief provided by digital processes. And if something doesn’t work, doctor Landgraf would like to have a contact point where all feedback can be submitted. This should also be used for the design of digital applications, Landgraf demanded.

When asked whether Gematik could be such a body in the future, interim managing director Florian Hartge was a little reserved yesterday. However, Gematik is trying to get as broad a picture of the medical profession as possible, for example through surveys. He admitted, however, that there would probably be many digitally savvy doctors among them.

For patients, the question of the system is unimportant

For patients, it is not at all important which systems are behind the digitization in the doctor’s offices, Landgraf continued. What is most important to them is that everything works and that they do not have to drive doctor’s letters from one doctor to another. Older patients are also often worried that they are not being cared for as well as younger patients who are better able to cope with digital requirements, said Landgraf.

The KBV’s framework agreement for practice software could also make things easier in the course of digitization in doctor’s practices, explained Stachwitz and Sebastian Zilch, head of the sub-department for Gematik, telematics infrastructure, e-health in the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

In March, the KBV defined certain requirements for providers of practice software. If they sign a contract with the KBV, they show that their product meets certain requirements for transparency, service and reliability. Zilch hopes that many manufacturers will sign this framework agreement. Stachwitz also called this agreement a constructive step towards more transparency for doctors.

The company kv.digital was founded ten years ago to create exactly such applications for doctors’ practices, explained KBV CEO Andreas Gassen. The aim was to bring a breath of fresh air into digitalization. At the time, the KBV subsidiary started with six people, today more than 80 people work for the company, said Gassen.

Doctors are not obstacles to digitalization

The practicing physicians often have to hear that they are hindering digitization, but that is not true. Otherwise, kv.digital would not exist, said Gassen. When the KVs founded the company, they also wanted to build bridges, particularly in communication between doctors’ practices and hospitals, as well as interfaces in digitization, added KBV Vice Chairman Stephan Hofmeister.

In addition, patient care should benefit from digital applications, he emphasized. Patients have changed their communication and demand behavior over the past ten years. This is another reason why the kv.digital portfolio has been continually expanded.

kv.digital supports the statutory health insurance physicians’ associations with two product teams. One team provides web applications and apps for arranging appointments for the 116117 patient service. In 2023, two million appointments were made via the appointment service. 1.2 million appointments were successfully arranged, explained Managing Director Volker Dentel. More than 65,000 doctor’s practices are registered for this service.

The second team enables secure medical communication of health data through the communication services KV-Connect and the KBV’s own KIM service kv.dox. The company also supports software manufacturers in exchanging data via communication services in order to ensure interoperability. This includes, for example, the specification of practical applications for the transmission of electronic doctor’s letters and laboratory data. © cmk/aerzteblatt.de