The "eHealth Strategy Austria" was published in July and focuses on the expansion of the digital foundations of the Austrian healthcare system. It sets out eight key points to be gradually established and implemented over the next six years to strengthen the availability of digital health applications in Austria and to create a general and legal framework for telemedicine and digital therapies.
One of the points is the establishment of a standardized process for the evaluation of digital health applications (DiGA) and digital nursing applications (DiPA), which shall be completed by 2026 at the latest. The goal is that digital health applications are fully integrated into the healthcare system by then. DiGA and DiPA need to be medical devices under Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and will have to be CE certified. In addition, a framework for healthcare providers to make legally compliant decisions on the appropriate use of digital health applications together with patients will be developed.
The first DiGAs in Austria are currently being tested in the fields of psychiatry and cardiovascular diseases, while further pilot projects are in progress. The specific framework for the reimbursement of DiGAs by the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) has not yet been decided but is expected to be determined soon.
We will watch these developments and expect to have further updates regarding the integration of DiGAs into the Austria healthcare system soon.
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