ICW - Technology for Health

Now that gematik has given its approval, the ICW Healthcare Connector can be used everywhere the electronic health card is being tested as part of the "Practical Test of Interoperability and Feasibility of Online Customer Data Validation and Update in the Field" (ProOnline-VSDD), a research and development program sponsored by the German Ministry of Health. This make it possible for the first time to test one of the telematic infrastructure's key features, the so-called client master data service in the field. Insured individuals use their client master data to prove entitlement to services under the Contract Physician Care program. They provide service providers with a basis for settlement with the state associations of public health insurance physicians and statutory health insurers. For holders of private health insurance policies, client master data serve to identify the scope of their insurance coverage and support existing billing systems. The ICW Healthcare Connector can also be centrally managed and updated by connecting with other value-added services online. This eliminates the need for expensive and intrusive on-site maintenance.

Online capability for components of the telematic infrastructure is a necessary precondition that must be met before the electronic health card can come into widespread use. The full value of the electronic health card will only then be fully realized once services such as ePrescription, emergency data or access to personal health records are fully implemented. Online capability is a major precondition for the next step towards a networked health care system.

The ICW Healthcare Connector is a cooperative development of ICW and Cisco based on Cisco's proven Integrated Services Router (ISR) technology. The Connector establishes a highly secure connection from the local IT systems in medical practices and pharmacies to the central telematic infrastructure.

Download press release about ICW connector for ProOnline-VSDD