Report: Less than four percent of insured use electronic patient records - Germany’s digital health records face low patient engagement despite mandatory rollout
Germany’s electronic patient record (ePA) launched in January 2025 as a standard feature for all insured individuals. Unless people chose to opt out, the system was automatically activated for them. Despite its wide availability, only a small fraction of users actively engage with the platform.
The ePA was designed to let policyholders view their health data, upload personal documents, and control which doctors could access their records. By early 2025, the system had been rolled out to millions under the statutory health scheme.
From October 2025, medical practices and hospitals were legally required to feed relevant patient documents into the system. Yet adoption remains low. Among the largest insurers, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) reports around 850,000 active users out of 11.5 million records. Barmer has roughly 440,000 active accounts from eight million, while AOK sees just 365,000 users among its 26 million records. Overall, only 3.6% of those insured under the statutory system currently use the ePA regularly.
The ePA is now mandatory for healthcare providers to maintain, but patient engagement stays minimal. With millions of records in place, the system’s long-term impact depends on whether more people begin using its features. For now, active usage remains limited to a small percentage of the insured population.
