From now on: E-Card can now also be “inserted” at home

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The e-card has accompanied people in Austria to their doctor’s appointments for 20 years. In the future, the green card will be scanned by readers and cell phones, the umbrella organization of social insurance companies and the Austrian Medical Association announced on Wednesday. This should make things easier, especially in nursing homes.
To use the new option, “My SV app” must be installed on the cell phone. A doctor can then be selected there who, after the card has been scanned, can be granted access to the electronic health record (ELGA) for 90 days. The same happens when the e-card is inserted into the doctor’s surgery. The doctor then has access to prescribed medication, findings and the electronic vaccination record via the ELGA. The new function has been tested in a pilot phase and is to be made available across the board immediately.

System to be extended to pharmacies
This makes sense, for example, if the doctor wants to prescribe a medication during a visit, explains Peter Lehner, Co-Chairman of the Conference of Social Insurance Institutions. Until now, the doctor could write a prescription, but this was not stored in the ELGA. He recently gave a vaccination in a nursing home, says Edgar Wutscher, Vice President of the Medical Association. In the future, such vaccinations can be entered directly into the electronic vaccination record. Access to findings will also make it possible to discuss findings by telephone if the doctor and patient wish. The system is to be expanded in the first quarter of 2025 so that pharmacies can also be granted access to information.

In principle, any e-card can be scanned with any cell phone, including that of a relative in need of care who may not have a smartphone themselves. This does not give relatives access to sensitive data, as no health data is transferred during the scanning process; only the doctor is granted access. In terms of data protection law, the system is, therefore, “1000 percent perfect,” says Lehner. This is also why ID Austria is not required.

The majority of e-cards have an NFC function
A prerequisite for using the system is that the e-card has an NFC function, i.e., technology for wireless data transmission. Most cards are now equipped with this, which can be recognized by a symbol with four arcs next to the golden chip on the front.