Electronic Health Card (eGK) in Germany: Overview

• The eGK is a digital health card that proves you have health insurance and helps you get medical care.
• It replaces the old card and stores important health information like medications, allergies, and emergency contacts.
• Key features include electronic health records, e-prescriptions, and contactless NFC technology.
• Data security is crucial: encryption and two-factor authentication protect your information.
• The card also works as a European Health Insurance Card, allowing access to healthcare across the EU.

What Is the Electronic Health Card (eGK)?

The electronic health card (eGK) is a key part of making healthcare in Germany digital.

It proves you have health insurance and makes it easy to get medical care at doctors' offices, hospitals, and pharmacies.

The eGK replaces the old health insurance card and has new features to make patient care better.

It's important to understand what the eGK does and how safe it is because it holds very private health information.

Let's look at its history, features, and safety measures to see how it helps with patient care.

Key Steps in Introducing the eGK

The eGK was introduced in 2003 with a law meant to modernize health insurance.

It replaced the old health insurance card and aimed to make data safer.

The company called Gesellschaft für Telematikanwendungen der Gesundheitskarte mbH (gematik), started in 2005 in Berlin, is responsible for creating and running the eGK.

Gematik is in charge of building the secure system for exchanging health data.

After years of testing, the eGK started to roll out across the country in 2011.

By the end of 2022, all 73 million legally insured people in Germany were supposed to have the new card.

Safe and Efficient Data Exchange

The eGK allows more efficient data sharing, which helps improve patient care.

To keep this sensitive information safe, very high security standards are needed.

Possible threats, like:

• Data leaks
• Cyber attacks
• Misuse of health information

...can seriously affect patients.

So, it's important to understand how to keep the eGK secure and use best practices for handling patient data.

Main Features of the eGK for Better Patient Care

One of the main features of the eGK is the voluntary electronic health record (ePA).

Patients can manage their own medical records, like doctor's notes, test results, and treatment documents.

This helps connect healthcare providers and improves health and treatment quality.

The big benefit: With the patient's permission, doctors can quickly access medical records and see the patient's medical history.

This helps avoid repeating tests and makes treatment faster and better.

Information Stored on the eGK

The eGK has the following personal information stored on its chip:

• Name
• Address
• Birthdate
• Health insurance details
• Insurance number

The back of the eGK also has the European Health Insurance Card, which makes it easier to get medical care throughout the EU.

The eGK is used whenever patients need medical services.

More Features Since 2020

Extra features were added to the eGK in August 2020:

• Electronic Emergency Data Set: Holds important information like existing health conditions, allergies, and emergency medications.
• Electronic Medication Plan: Shows all current medications to help avoid dangerous drug interactions.

At ByteSnipers, we support these new features because they help make treatments better and safer for patients.

However, strong security must always be used to protect sensitive health data.

The E-Prescription: Faster and Easier Medication

Another helpful feature of the eGK is the paperless electronic prescription (e-prescription).

Instead of getting a paper prescription, patients receive their prescriptions digitally on the eGK or through an app.

At the pharmacy, they can redeem their e-prescription with just a tap or even have their medicine delivered to their home.

Benefits of the E-Prescription

• Saves time
• Better for the environment
• Increases drug safety by reducing fake prescriptions

Emergency Data Can Save Lives

In an emergency, having accurate medical data can be life-saving.

Patients can choose to store the following on their eGK chip:

• Long-term medications
• Allergies
• Emergency contacts

This helps emergency workers get important information quickly if needed.

Data Protection and Security with the eGK

Modern Encryption and Two-Factor Authentication

Keeping data on the eGK safe is very important. All information is protected with advanced encryption, like AES 256-bit.

Only people with the right electronic signature can access it, using a health professional card (eHBA).

The eHBA acts as a second security step in a two-factor process:

• eGK = First factor
• eHBA = Second factor

Health data can only be accessed if both factors are used, making sure that even if one is compromised, the data stays safe.

Master Data vs. Health Data

The eGK separates basic information (e.g., name, address, insurance number) from detailed health data (e.g., diagnoses, treatments).

Basic information is needed to confirm treatment eligibility and can be accessed by medical staff and health insurance companies.

Health data is only stored with the patient’s permission and can be deleted or restricted at any time.

Legal Rules for Data Protection

The telematics infrastructure (TI) ensures secure data exchange between healthcare providers.

It follows high security standards set by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).

It also meets the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG).

Patients are in control of their data and can choose not to store it on the eGK at any time.

NFC Technology for Secure Contactless Data Exchange

The eGK also uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which allows data exchange without contact over short distances (up to 10 centimeters).

Since NFC has a very short range, it's hard for someone to intercept the data without being close by.

Plus, the data is encrypted, making it useless even if someone manages to capture it.

Benefits of NFC Technology

• Short range reduces attack risk: Unauthorized access is harder since attackers must be very close.
• Encryption for safety: The data shared via NFC is encrypted to stop data theft.

More Time for Your Treatment

Storing and sharing medical data digitally gives doctors more time to treat patients.

With the electronic health record (ePA), doctors can see your medical history, diagnoses, and test results all in one place, allowing them to give better care.

Well-Supported Across the EU

The back of the eGK is also a European Health Insurance Card, which lets insured people get medical care across the EU in emergencies.

This makes it much easier to get healthcare while traveling in Europe.

How to Get Your New Contactless Health Card

If you haven't gotten the new eGK with NFC, you can request one from your health insurance provider.

Usually, you just need a photo ID for verification.

Along with the new eGK, you will receive a patient PIN that lets you use digital services like e-prescriptions or electronic health records.

Conclusion: The Electronic Health Card (eGK)

The eGK is an important step in making healthcare digital and offers many benefits for both patients and doctors.

Sharing data digitally makes treatment faster and better.

However, storing and sharing sensitive health data also brings cybersecurity risks.

It is crucial to use the latest security measures, like end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication, and keep them updated.

Reducing cybersecurity risks takes a complete approach that includes technology, best practices, and training for both patients and medical staff.

Digitizing healthcare is a process that will continue, and keeping data safe must always be a top priority.