Frequently asked questions about SBK electronic patient records

You can manage your ePA securely and conveniently in the SBK electronic patient record app. Here you can view, delete, and share information about your health. You decide who can view which data and for how long. For example, you can give your family doctor's office permanent access and a specialist clinic access for just one day.

You can use the ePA even without the SBK electronic patient record app. It will then be managed by your doctor. The SBK healthcare card is required for this. You authorize your doctor's office by inserting your SBK healthcare card into the card reader there.

You can continue to use your existing ePA. To ensure that your data is retained, you will need to log into your SBK electronic patient record app once by the end of 2025 and migrate the data stored there. You will be guided through the process.

Would you like to manage the ePA for your minor children or help others set up their ePA? Read here to find out how.

If you no longer have access to the old device, click on ‘Forgot app code’. Enter the 6-digit identification number of your SBK healthcare card and your postal code. For security reasons, all device registrations will then be deleted and your access reset. You can then assign a new app code and use the ePA again.

The SBK electronic patient record app offers an integrated e-prescription function. E-prescriptions are automatically stored centrally by your doctor. This allows you to conveniently redeem them via the SBK electronic patient record app or with your SBK healthcare card at a local pharmacy. Further information can be found here.

Your sensitive and vulnerable data is encrypted using the highest level of protection currently available in Germany. Your data is stored using content encryption on servers located in Germany and Austria, which means it is subject to European data protection law. Only you can read the data, as only you have the key to it. Neither we nor our IT service providers can view your data.

Our IT service providers are Bitmarck GmbH in Germany and RISE GmbH (Research Industrial Systems Engineering) in Austria.

You decide for yourself which data is stored in your ePA and which is deleted. You can also determine which doctors or other service providers have access to your ePA and can therefore upload or read documents. You can restrict access in the SBK electronic patient record app and configure it individually for each doctor. Alternatively, simply contact our ombudsman service, the SBK electronic patient record support team.

This means that no one except you and those you have authorized will have access to your data. Neither the provider of your ePA (= your health insurance company) nor the IT service providers have access to the content.

You alone decide who can view the data in the ePA. In the SBK electronic patient record app, you can individually specify who has access and for how long. Even if you don't use an app, you can authorize a doctor's office by using your SBK healthcare card on site. The operators of the technical infrastructure and the health insurance companies cannot read or extract any data.

Yes. You can track all activities. For maximum transparency, all accesses and access attempts to the file are logged. This information is either available via the SBK electronic patient record app or will be provided to you on request by our ombudsman's office to the SBK electronic patient record support team.

As part of the Digital Act, the ePA was automatically set up for all persons insured by statutory health insurance companies as of January 15, 2025. If you do not want an ePA, you can object to its creation. The easiest way to do this is here. If an ePA has already been created for you, it will be deleted after you object.

Yes, the ePA is voluntary and can be canceled even if you do not object to its automatic setup in early 2025. Why not give the ePA a try? You can change your mind at any time.

By the way: if you revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted immediately. In this case, there is no cancellation period. Please back up your data in advance, otherwise it will be permanently deleted.

Have you already submitted an objection to the ePA and received written confirmation from us? Then we have received your objection and it remains unaffected. We will not create an ePA for you.

In principle, you can take your ePA with you when you change health insurance providers, as the file system is identical for all ePA providers.

When switching to private health insurance, please note: It is generally possible to take your ePA with you to a private health insurance provider. It is important that the insurance provider also offers an ePA. The legal obligation to create an ePA currently only applies to statutory health insurance providers.

When switching to a private health insurance provider, please check in advance whether they offer an ePA for their insured members.

All data and documents are automatically transferred to the file system when you create the ePA with your new health insurance provider. Insured members will receive a notification from their new health insurance provider that their ePA has been automatically transferred to the new health insurance provider.

If you, as the insured person, initially objected to the creation of the file, your new health insurance provider will be informed of this by your previous provider and the objection will remain in place. You do not need to take any further action.