Patients dissatisfied with health apps
A good third of Germans (37 percent) use health apps (Diga) on a daily basis, but only 19 percent are fully convinced of their effectiveness. This is the conclusion of the "Diga Report" of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) presented on Wednesday.
Since October 2020, doctors have been able to prescribe apps on prescription. Germany is the first country in the world where the costs for this are covered by statutory health insurance (SHI). By the end of December 2021, the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) had received 19,025 prescriptions for health apps (Diga). The most common prescriptions were for apps for back pain (3,947), tinnitus (3,450) and migraine (2,524). Women in particular (66.5 percent) use the apps.
The average price of the Diga was 329 euros in October 2020. In the meantime, four app manufacturers have increased prices again in the first year. In March 2022, the average price was already 456 euros. "We see that the apps in the SHI reimbursement suddenly cost significantly more than before," emphasizes TK CEO Jens Baas.
Few doctors on board
The report shows that the apps have not yet arrived in doctors' offices. Only four percent of all doctors have issued prescriptions for Diga so far - in absolute figures, that's just 7,000 out of 180,000 doctors). It is striking that in Berlin - where most DiGA manufacturers are also located - the prescription rate is highest (2,136 prescriptions, which corresponds to 2.3 prescriptions per 1,000 insured persons).
Source: Press text.com
