Overview

• More than 70 million statutory-insured Germans received an electronic patient record by default on April 29, 2025, but only about one million have activated their accounts at major insurers
• At Techniker Krankenkasse, just 750,000 of 11 million ePAs are in active use and at Barmer only 250,000 of 7.8 million records have been opened
• German medical associations cite a cumbersome registration process and frequent technical glitches as factors that risk a “Bruchlandung” of the project
• Patient advocates and the Sozialverband Deutschland call for simplified language, improved accessibility and targeted education to include chronically ill, elderly and digitally less affine groups
• From October 1, 2025, all physicians must legally upload new diagnoses and findings to the ePA, a mandate insurers expect will significantly boost system adoption