Publication
07 Feb 2024 ·
International
Austria: Health insurance plans launch of reimbursement for digital health applications in 2024
2 min read
Digital health applications are medical devices whose main functions are based on digital technologies (for example health apps). While in many countries, such as Germany and France, digital health applications can be prescribed within the framework of statutory health insurance and can thus be used by the patients free of charge, this is currently not possible in Austria.
At the beginning of January, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) announced its plans to launch reimbursement of digital health applications in 2024.
The planned implementation process will consist of a careful review of existing applications to assess their benefits for patients. For this purpose, providers will be able to submit digital health applications to the social insurance institutions for assessment. Further details about the process and criteria of reimbursement have not been disclosed. Proof of efficacy is being discussed as a basis for reimbursement by the statutory health insurance funds.
There are also plans for the future implementation of a “Digital Health Path” (DGP). The DGP is based on the idea of a digital Austrian healthcare platform, that brings together all citizens and providers of healthcare products and services. The platform is intended to be a digital hub for certified and quality-assured eHealth services for all aspects of healthcare, including digital health applications. An eHealth Seal of approval is being considered as a way of identifying tested, trusted and secure applications. The essential core component of the platform will be ELGA (Electronic Health Record), which already makes health data available throughout Austria and across various institutions.
We expect further details about these exciting developments for Austrian patients and for providers of digital health applications to be announced later this year – stay tuned!
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