Health - Barmer: Health apps on prescription rarely used
Apps on prescription are scarcely used in Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the doctor's report of the Barmer health insurance, there were 236 digital health applications on prescription for every 100,000 inhabitants in the federal state in 2022. That's roughly 9,800 apps on prescription with reimbursement by health insurances in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Digital health applications can be downloaded onto a smartphone by patients and are intended to help monitor and treat certain diseases better. This includes assistance with regular medication intake or maintaining digital patient diaries. Since the end of 2020, doctors and psychotherapists have been able to prescribe these apps on prescription.
Insufficient knowledge and false expectations
Digital health applications have not yet arrived in healthcare, explained Dunja Kleis, Managing Director of the Krankenkasse in Rhineland-Palatinate and in Saarland.
Most apps on prescription for every 100,000 inhabitants and inhabitants were recorded nationwide in Berlin with 337 according to the doctor's report of the health insurance with statements from their insured persons. The last place was Saarland with 188. The federal average was 271.
Little benefit from underutilized apps
Barmer CEO Christoph Straub had already called for targeted use and more transparency in health apps on prescription at the beginning of the year. Lack of detailed knowledge and false expectations led not only to reluctance in prescribing, but also to the fact that usage was often discontinued prematurely. Underutilized apps resulted in costs without significant benefit. Therefore, insured persons need a trial period of 14 days - instead of the previously common prescription period of 90 days.
In contrast to Rhineland-Palatinate, Berlin saw the highest number of digital health applications prescribed on a per capita basis in 2022, with 337 apps per 100,000 inhabitants. Saarland, on the other hand, ranked last with 188 apps prescribed per 100,000 inhabitants. (Reference to Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland from the text)
Managing Director of the Krankenkasse in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Dunja Kleis, stated that digital health applications have not fully infiltrated healthcare yet. (Reference to Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland from the text)
Barmer CEO Christoph Straub advocated for targeted use and more transparency in health apps on prescription at the beginning of the year. (Reference to Barmer from the text)
To combat reluctance in prescribing and premature discontinuation of use, Barmer now offers a 14-day trial period for health apps on prescription, instead of the previous 90-day prescription period. (Reference to Barmer from the text)
