Current state of telemedicine in Germany
Presently, the state of virtual and remote consultations in Germany are skyrocketing into a popular trend in the ever-changing world of Healthcare. This new stage of healthcare development is fostered by specific policies to ensure the safety of both patients and doctors. This policy, widely known as the “’E-Health Law,’ is the effective regulations that are held in place to ensure the safety as well as confidentially of both the patient along with the doctor.
Previously, the healthcare policies of Germany dictated that telemedicine could only be implemented when being used for follow up tasks. However, those policies have been overturned and lead to the back door. Meanwhile, a new era of virtual as well as remote medical care is being ushered in.
The German Medical Association intends to build upon the foundation laid concerning telemedicine as well as expand upon it into a whole new level of infrastructure. Also, the German Medical Association has the full intention of entirely obliterated regulations and policy that restrict remote as well as virtual medical care. The previous policies that prevented eHealth from developing further have been completely removed.
Earlier, only follow-ups could be done via telephone or video. These types of restrictions greatly hindered the success of the digital care system. Now, people can schedule a virtual consultation with doctor for the first time electronically in Germany.
These actions mean that German patients along with doctors will gain several benefits by being able to access remote and virtual Medical communication and healthcare. Some of these benefits include but not limited to broader coverage of patients, being able to access unreachable locations, a new stable means of a communication channel between doctors as well as patients, a better means to monitor patients, and much more.
Looking at things from a patient’s perspective, this new wave of technological advancements within the healthcare field is hugely beneficial. Patients who struggle with mobility will gain adequate medical care as well as monitoring. The life of patients will be simplified by being able to carry out medical transactions electronically.
And for a doctor, this radical movement within the German healthcare system creates many doors of opportunity.
Doctors can now gain a large number of patients, stay in contact with patients for monitoring purposes, offer better services, treat patients accordingly, have a means of organizing health care plans that will work, and overall easier as well as faster communication with patients.
This means that both German patients and physicians will greatly benefit from the uplifted restrictions that previously limited e-healthcare. German patients can now seek medical care within the borders of their own country.
Due to this, Germanic healthcare has greatly improved concerning what it can offer people in terms of medical care and coverage. Regarding German doctors, they shall benefit by gaining more patients. These patients could not previously seek their help for a variety of reasons of which prevented them from establishing contact.
Impact on the German digital health market
As telemedicine continues to gain acceptance in the German community, different stakeholders and foreign players are going to be significantly affected for better or for worse. Some of these people include but are not limited to such patients, health care providers, insurers, and of course the general public.
For the most part, stakeholders are being affected positively and realize the capabilities the eHealth system carries. Some of those abilities are a broader selection of doctors for German patients, extension-where medical care can be reached, more efficient medical care, the faster response time between doctors as well as patients and so on.
Easy access to high-quality medical care improves medical services in the country as healthcare insurers in the country get to streamline their premium offers through the use of advanced technology through the development of new and improved devices for their insurance services.
Research indicates that approximately 88% of the German population is currently enrolled in a public health-related insurance plan. Meanwhile, the other estimated 11 percent of the population are choosing private healthcare. Alternatively, less than 0.2 percent of the German population has no insurance coverage whatsoever.
The progressive change in the German Healthcare system, medical professionals and patients will enjoy efficiency in service provision, drug administration and the overall management of health care centers in the country.
The upliftment of restrictions on telemedicine will enable in-house doctors to receive numerous clients since they rely on telecommunication to engage their patients in consultations and analysing their health status.
This liberalization will also mean reduction in the number of Germans who were opting for virtual consultations with doctors in Switzerland and UK as the previous German law prevented them from doing so with the doctors in their home country.
However, for doctors solely stationed at medical centers slowly lose business because people find it convenient and easy to rely on telecommunication services. Even though Germans are known to refuse technological change especially in health care, the implementation of this new medical technology is slowly gaining popularity in the country in a dynamic way.
Since the restrictions on medical technology have been lifted by the German government, the healthcare system will experience tremendous growth in quality and provision of medical services through the formulation of medical policies that promote product innovation in the industry.
Hospitals will no longer rely on traditional methods of record keeping rather they will use Electronic Health Records (EHR) which will digitally store patient data in highly secure database systems in hospitals. Since medical technology is dynamic in nature since it keeps evolving and improving, the government will most likely enforce policies that will ensure health care startups can provide services and products with ease. There will be no legal restrictions for startup companies in the healthcare industry.
The future of German healthcare sector
Due to the open-mindedness of the German Medical Association, the German healthcare system is being led down the road to greatness. Every sector involved with the new e-healthcare system has felt the positive effects of the new changes made to the German health care system. German doctors are gaining more patients every day.
Meanwhile, patients can seek medical care either directly or electronically within their borders. The future of the German healthcare system is brighter than ever.
As Germany researchers develop new medical technologies, the limits that subdued their healthcare system before will eventually break down into nothing.
Things we can not even begin to fathom yet will become a genuine possibility.
Image credit: www.istockphoto.com
