Doctors and pharmacists from focus region put the e-prescription to the test from July

From July 2021, the e-prescription will be launched with a test phase in the Berlin-Brandenburg focus region: pharmacies, surgeries and hospitals will be able to use the new prescription and redemption processes.

The Berlin Pharmacists’ Association (BAV), the Brandenburg Pharmacists’ Association (AVB), the German Pharmacists' Association (DAV) and gematik will provide intensive support to a group of up to 120 pharmacists and up to 50 dentists and doctors from surgeries and clinics. The aim is to test the e-prescription in health care practice from issuing to billing. The results will be evaluated scientifically. This phase follows the previous model project of the Digital Health Future Region (ZDG), an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Health. Participants in the previous model project are preferred partners. Further pharmacies and surgeries will be targeted by the ZDG project in coordination with the BAV, the AVB, the DAV and the respective software providers.

In principle, all interested doctors and pharmacists in Berlin-Brandenburg, doctors who offer video consultations and mail-order pharmacies will have the option of issuing or receiving e-prescriptions from July – provided they meet certain criteria. Interested parties can register in June via the gematik website and start gathering experience with the e-prescription in the third quarter and provide feedback.

Those who wish to register for the test phase must meet the following requirements:

• Pharmacy, surgery or patient must be in Berlin-Brandenburg; this also applies to mail-order companies and providers of video consultations.
• The connection to the telematics infrastructure, the electronic health professional card as well as necessary updates of the primary system for the use of the e-prescription must be available.

“From the test phase we expect practical findings on the interaction of all components, similar to the electronic patient file – both from a technical point of view and in terms of process flows in pharmacies and surgeries. In this way, we are preparing for the broad, nationwide introduction in the best possible way,” said Hannes Neumann, e-prescription product manager at gematik.

What happens after the test phase?

The findings from the test phase will be constantly incorporated into the subsequent nationwide roll-out in the fourth quarter. By 1 January 2022, the software solutions in all dentists’ and doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies nationwide will be made ready for the electronic prescription.