113 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
113 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown
+++
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title = "Germany’s national healthcare system adopts Matrix!"
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date = "2021-07-21T15:30:48Z"
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path = "/blog/2021/07/21/germany-s-national-healthcare-system-adopts-matrix"
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aliases = ["/blog/2021/07/21/germanys-national-healthcare-system-adopts-matrix"]
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[taxonomies]
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author = ["Matthew Hodgson"]
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category = ["General", "News"]
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[extra]
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image = "https://matrix.org/blog/img/2021-07-21-gematik.jpg"
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+++
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Hi folks,
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We’re incredibly excited to officially announce that the national agency for
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the digitalisation of the healthcare system in Germany ([gematik](http://gematik.de))
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has selected Matrix as the open standard on which to base all its
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interoperable instant messaging standard - the TI-Messenger.
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gematik has released a [concept paper](https://fachportal.gematik.de/anwendungen/ti-messenger)
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that explains the initiative in full.
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## TL;DR
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With the TI-Messenger, gematik is creating a nationwide decentralised private
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communication network - based on Matrix - to support potentially more than
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**150,000** healthcare organisations within Germany’s national healthcare system.
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It will provide end-to-end encrypted VoIP/Video and messaging for the whole
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healthcare system, as well as the ability to share healthcare based data,
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images and files.
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Initially every healthcare provider (HCP) with an HBA (HPC ID card) will be
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able to choose their own TI-Messenger provider. The homesever for HCP
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accounts will be hosted by the provider’s datacentre. The homeserver for
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institutions can be hosted by TI-Messenger providers, or on-premise.
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Each organisation and individual will therefore retain complete ownership and
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control of their communication data - while being able to share it securely
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within the healthcare system with end-to-end encryption by default. All
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servers in the Matrix-based private federation will be hosted within
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Germany.
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Needless to say, security is key when underpinning the entire nation’s
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healthcare infrastructure and safeguarding sensitive patient data. As such,
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the entire implementation will be [accredited by BSI](https://www.bsi.bund.de/EN/Home/home_node.html)
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(Federal Office for Information Security) and [BfDI](https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Home/home_node.html)
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(Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information).
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## The full context...
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Germany’s digital care modernisation law (“Digitale Versorgung und Pflege
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Modernisierungs Gesetz” or DVPMG), which came into force in June 2021, spells
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out the need for an instant messaging solution.
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The urgency has increased by a significant rise in the use of instant
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messaging and video conferencing within the healthcare system - for instance,
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the amount of medical practices using messenger services doubled in 2020
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compared to 2018 (much of this using insecure messaging solutions).
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[gematik](https://www.gematik.de/), majority-owned by Germany’s
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[Federal Ministry of Health](https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/english-version.html),
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is responsible for the standardised digital transformation of Germany’s
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healthcare sector. It focuses on improving efficiency and introducing new
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ways of working by setting, testing and certifying healthcare technology
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including electronic health cards, electronic patient records and
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e-prescriptions.
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[TI-Messenger](https://www.gematik.de/anwendungen/ti-messenger/) is gematik’s
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technical specification for an interoperable secure instant messaging
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standard. The healthcare industry will be able to build a wide range of apps
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based on TI-Messenger specifications knowing that, being built on Matrix, all
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those apps will interoperate.
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More than 150,000 organisations - ranging from local doctors to clinics,
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hospitals, and insurance companies - can potentially standardise on instant
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messaging thanks to gematik’s TI-Messenger initiative.
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## The road to interoperability
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By 1 October 2021, TI-Messenger will initially specify how communication
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should work in practice between healthcare professionals (HCPs). Physicians
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will be able to find and communicate with each other via TI-Messenger
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approved apps - specifications include secure authentication mechanisms with
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electronic health professional cards (eHBAs), electronic institution cards
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(SMC-B) and a central [FHIR](https://hl7.org/FHIR/) directory. The first
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compliant apps for HCPs are expected to be licensed by Q2 2022.
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Eric Grey (product manager for TI-Messenger at gematik), reckons there will
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initially be around 10-15 TI-Messenger compliant Matrix-based apps for HCP
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communications available from different vendors.
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Healthcare professionals will be able to choose a TI-Messenger provider, who
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will be hosting their personal accounts and provide the messenger-client.
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Healthcare organisations will choose a TI-Messenger provider to build the
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dedicated homeserver infrastructure (on prem or in a data center), provide
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the client and ongoing support.
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## What does this mean for the Matrix community?
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Matrix is already integral to huge parts of the public sector; from the French
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government’s Tchap platform, to Bundeswehr’s use of BwMessenger and adoption
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by universities and schools across Europe.
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Germany’s healthcare system standardising on Matrix takes this to entirely the
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next level - and we can’t wait to see the rest of Europe (and the world!)
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converge on Matrix for healthcare!
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We'll have more info about TI-Messenger on this week's Matrix Live, out on
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Friday - stay tuned!
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