IBM is to operate the specialist service that stores the electronic prescriptions prescribed by the doctor on the server in encrypted form until they are redeemed by a pharmacy. This specialist service can then download the prescriptions into the insured person’s prescription app and into the pharmacy’s administration systems. The e-prescription is to be introduced nationwide in July 2021.

IBM has been awarded the contract by the Gematik project company. The source code of the specialist service is to be published before it is put into operation, as is the corresponding security report. The insured person’s app for the e-prescription will continue to be developed directly at Gematik in accordance with the requirements of the Patient Data Protection Act (PDSG), and Bundesdruckerei will presumably come into play as the identity provider.

IBM had applied for lot 1, with which an operator of the specialist service was sought. In a second lot, the identity provider is still being sought who will read the electronic prescriptions encrypted by the doctor and authenticate both the doctors and the pharmacies. Presumably this will be the Bundesdruckerei subsidiary D-Trust.

500 Millions of prescriptions In Germany over 500 millions of prescriptions are issued and processed each year, many of them follow-up prescriptions for which the patients actually do not Have to go to the practice. Larger general practitioners’ practices issue between 400 and 600 prescriptions per day. These are to be issued as e-prescriptions from July 2021, whereby the mandatory issue of simple recipes for 2022 it’s planned. Later, in level 2, narcotics prescriptions and in level 3 intensive care prescriptions and the green prescription are to be sent electronically to the specialist service.

The e-prescription is a QR code that is encrypted and stored on the prescription server. From there it will be picked up encrypted for transport by the pharmacy where the insured person would like to redeem the prescription. There is a smartphone app with a directory of all offline and online pharmacies.

In addition to deciding on a pharmacy, it should be possible to do so Sending an e-prescription to another person’s app, for example if you are not allowed to leave the house during quarantine. This shows the QR code in the pharmacy to a scanner, which then queries the server and picks up the e-prescription.

(anw)