The goal of Germany’s new electronic health law is the creation of an electronic health card for every person in the country by 2018. The card will include health information that doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies across the country can access with patient consent. The “E-Health Card” will store administrative data, a photograph, and medical applications such as emergency information, medication plans, and cross-facility electronic health records. Other objectives of the 2016 law include establishing the infrastructure to support the card—with security features as a main component—and improvement of health information technology interoperability.
