German doctors' group warns GeDIG law threatens patient rights and medical independence

At the 130th German Medical Congress in Hannover, the Freie Ärzteschaft denounced the draft Law for Data and Digital Innovation in Healthcare (GeDIG) as an overreaching tool that could undermine patient rights and doctors' professional autonomy. The association objected to proposals for a mandatory health‑insurance app that would use data from the electronic patient record (ePA) as a gate‑keeper for appointments and referrals, arguing it would marginalise vulnerable groups and introduce digital coercion by insurers.

The Bundespsychotherapeutenkammer (BPtK) issued a complementary statement, supporting digitalisation that serves patient care but warning against any intrusion into the therapeutic trust relationship. Both bodies called for digital tools that enhance, rather than control, medical decision‑making.