The law is being thoroughly revised: the Federal Council wants to provide financial support to providers of e-patient records

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The federal law on electronic health records will be thoroughly revised in the coming years. A corresponding template is currently being discussed.

A temporary transitional funding should secure funding for the core communities until the comprehensive review of the law takes effect. This is intended to promote the dissemination of the e-patient record even before the major reform.

Maximum 30 francs

The Federal Council referred the message to parliament on Wednesday. According to this, the federal government can allocate a maximum amount of thirty francs per opened file. However, the cantons should participate to at least the same extent.

To create an incentive for the mainstream communities to rapidly distribute the e-health record, the federal government’s support should be based on the number of electronic health records opened, as the Federal Council wrote. The parent communities could apply for these grants retroactively for all files opened since they became operational.

Parliament must agree

A payment framework of CHF 30 million is planned for the federal financial assistance, depending on the financial situation of the federal government. The bill will now go to parliament for deliberation and is expected to enter into force at the end of 2024.

Already in the years 2018 through 2022, the federal government contributed to the costs of establishing and certifying communities and core communities. Parliament had discussed a financial aid of thirty million Swiss francs. Even then, financial support was only granted on condition that the cantons or third parties made at least an equal contribution.

The draft comprehensive revision of the law, which will be discussed later in parliament, stipulates that an electronic health record will be opened automatically and free of charge for all people residing in Switzerland with compulsory health or military insurance. Those who do not want a file can appeal against the opening to the canton.

increase efficiency

The electronic health record is a digital collection of important information about someone’s health. It pursues several goals, including improving the quality of medical treatments, increasing the efficiency of the healthcare system, increasing patient safety and promoting their health literacy.

By mid-2022, only one in a thousand Swiss population had such an e-patient record; most of them lived in western Switzerland. For the e-file to be a success, as many doctors and hospitals as possible must participate. One of the many challenges of the digitization project is common standards and tools for using the file. (SDA)

Source:Blick