Overview

• Just 21 percent of insured Germans report actively using or planning to use the ePA, while more than half have not opted out but remain inactive.
• Only 13 percent of patients say the ePA was ever discussed in their medical practice, and 63 percent say they want proactive guidance from their healthcare providers.
• Patients cite lack of opportunity to engage (46 percent), no perceived need (40 percent), clinics not yet utilizing the system (16 percent), and complicated registration (8 percent) as top barriers.
• Medical practices face technical hurdles—including unstable telematics infrastructure and incompatible management systems—that delay full integration.
• Data privacy worries have led 11 percent of patients to opt out, prompting calls from the Kassenzahnärztliche Bundesvereinigung for policy incentives to accelerate adoption before October’s mandatory rollout.