9 - 11 April 2013, Berlin, Germany.The forthcoming presentation of the 2.0 version of the Electronic Patient File (EFA) and the IHE Cookbook at conhIT 2013 will enable the healthcare IT industry to pave the way for a wider communication of electronic patient file data across all sectors within Germany. In the future it will be possible to make use of different types of electronic patient files that will employ standards able to withstand the test of time. This will ensure that patient data can be communicated safely and create ideal investment conditions for users and providers alike.
In Germany, use of electronic patient files for communicating patient data within regional or national care management networks is still very limited. One reason is a lack of uniform technical standards, making it difficult for users to choose a suitable solution and for providers to develop corresponding products. This will now be a thing of the past. conhIT 2013 will witness the unveiling of the new 2.0 version of EFA that overcomes the technical hurdles involved in handling IT-assisted care management scenarios in the German healthcare system.
The 2.0 version of EFA incorporates IHE profiles and their relevant standards and so satisfies the international requirements with which standardised healthcare IT solutions must conform. This is the culmination of a ground-breaking collaboration involving users, providers and computer experts. They include Verein Elektronische FallAkte, Fraunhofer FOKUS, IHE Deutschland and the Interoperability Working Group of the German Association of Healthcare IT Vendors (bvitg).
Besides EFA, attention was also given to two other types of IHE-based files: the Personal Electronic Patient File (PEPA) and the Electronic Patient file for Interdisciplinary Use with Multiple Facilities (eEPA). All three specifications are laid down in the "IHE Cookbook: file-based, communication of images and diagnosis for interdisciplinary use with multiple facilities", which will also be presented at conhIT.
Better product acceptance and investment conditions
The Electronic Patient File in its present form dates back to an initiative by German hospitals and is recognised as the most widely used system of its kind within medical care management networks in Germany. "The Electronic Patient File is purpose-oriented, being tailored to specific treatment areas, and makes it possible to communicate data efficiently while complying with strict data protection guidelines," says Dr. Jörg Caumanns of the Fraunhofer FOKUS E-Health Competence Center.
The fact that the Electronic Patient File is now IHE-compliant benefits users and providers alike. "From a user's point of view it is important for a patient file not to be a short-term solution. Standardising the Electronic Patient File makes it easier for providers, policymakers and associations to accept the product and helps to establish the current system in the long term. It provides users with the ideal conditions they need for investing in new IT solutions,2 says Volker Lowitsch, CIO of Universitätsklinikum Aachen and chairman of Verein Elektronische FallAkte.
The telematics infrastructure at a glance
The fact that the Electronic Patient File has migrated towards IHE offers greater assurance for providers too: "The incorporation of international standards and the fact that the different file systems being used in Germany are now technically compatible will lead to a greater willingness by companies to invest in the relevant modules for their IT systems. This will also make the Electronic Patient File a good economic prospect for the international market. bvitg board member Jörg Holstein and the heads of the Interoperability Working Group, Dr. Ralf Brandner, Olaf Dörge and Dr. Frank Oemig, who are all involved in the EFA project as representatives of bvitg, are convinced that “in the end this will not only increase the range of patient file products but also make it easier for users to operate them."
The EFA system and other patient file systems specified in the IHE Cookbook will withstand the test of time because they have already taken current telematics infrastructure developments into account. Thus, close cooperation exists between the organisations Elektronische FallAkte and gematik, responsible for the electronic health card. "At bvitg we are urging this jointly created file concept to be integrated into the telematics infrastructure. From our point of view there is no longer any reason for care networks to use patient file systems that do not comply with the latest standards," says Andreas Kassner, who has been involved with the project for IHE Deutschland and bvitg.
The conditions must be right
Crucially, users and providers must now adapt to these technical standards. Thus, EFA system providers can now develop services based on the Electronic Patient File for typical intersectoral communications, for example hospital procedures or services for improving safe drug treatment. The development of creative business models is another aspect that has yet to be explored. "Users have become much more interested in the Electronic Patient File, which in turn has sparked a dynamic process." Everyone involved is unanimous that "policymakers and administrations must create the necessary conditions so that the regional care management networks that everyone desires are capable of operating efficiently."
List of institutions participating in the EFA 2.0 project
- Verein Elektronische FallAkte e. V.
- Fraunhofer FOKUS
- IHE Deutschland e. V.
- Bundesverband Gesundheits-IT - bvitg e. V.
More on this subject at conhIT 2013
- 10 April 2013: Congress session no. 6 on "Regional Networking and Care Management" and session no. 9 on "Hospital data in intersectoral communications"
- 9 April 2013: conhIT Academy seminar on "Electronic files and intersectoral care: Proposed solutions and standards"
The following conhIT forums will discuss the electronic patient file:
- 9 April 2013, "EFA 2.0 - The Case File speaks IHE"
- 9 April 2013, "Focus on Interoperability: Solving case file problems", followed by a guided tour of the fair
- 10 April 2013: "Standards and open interfaces in healthcare IT - a controversy"
- 10 April 2013, "Focus on online services provided by doctors for patients", followed by a guided tour of the fair
- 11 April 2013, "Patient files based on IHE in Germany for use with multiple facilities".
Anyone wishing to find out more ahead of conhIT about the products and services relevant to this subject can find the exhibitors in question in the conhIT Virtual Market Place and can already book an appointment at the Industrial Fair.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.conhit.de
About conhIT - Connecting Healthcare IT
conhIT targets decision-makers in IT departments, management, in the medical profession, nursing, doctors, doctors' networks and medical care centres who need to find out about the latest developments in IT and healthcare, meet members of the industry and make use of opportunities for high-level advanced training. As an integrated event, over a period of three days conhIT combines an Industrial Fair, a Congress and Networking Events which are of particular interest to this sector. Launched in 2008 by the German Association of Healthcare IT Vendors (bvitg) as the meeting place for the healthcare IT industry and organised by Messe Berlin, this event recently recorded 270 exhibitors and 5,300 visitors and has now become Europe’s leading event for the healthcare IT sector.
conhIT 2013 is organised in cooperation with the following industry associations: the German Association of Healthcare IT Vendors (bvitg), the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS), the German Association of Medical Computer Scientists (BVMI). The National Association of Hospital IT Managers (KH-IT) and the Working Group of Directors of Medical Computing Centres at German University Clinics (ALKRZ) have provided contributions to the subject matter.