TI Connection for Care

We support you in connecting and accessing the TI to enable the necessary conditions for smooth integration and to accompany you competently:

• Connection of care facilities to the TI
  • Provision of hardware (eHealth connector and card terminals)
  • Software access (VPN access service)
  • A welcome package with important information and contacts
• Communication package
  • KIM service - your e-mail address(es) for secure communication in the medical sector

Priceless: As an authorized operator of several services and products in telematics, you benefit from the knowledge and experience of our experts in small and large installations. To get an idea of our services, we offer you the possibility of a trial installation. Simple and uncomplicated. Take advantage of the opportunity to have us prepare an individual offer for your needs.

Our benchmark: We make healthcare digitally better.

The telematics infrastructure (TI) is the digital network of the German healthcare system. The term telematics is composed of the terms’ telecommunications and information technology. With the IT infrastructure used for this purpose, the TI forms a closed network that is intended to enable the digital and secure exchange of health-related data between all players in the healthcare system while complying with the highest data protection standards. It also provides the platform for digital health applications such as the eRezept (e-prescription) and the eAU (electronic certificate of incapacity for work). Connection to the TI has been implemented gradually since 2018 and is a legal requirement for all players in the healthcare system.

The law stipulates that the TI connection of care facilities is voluntary for the time being. Participating care facilities will be reimbursed from July 1, 2021 (DVG, §106b). From July 1, 2025, the voluntary option will then become mandatory, and all outpatient care facilities in Germany will have to have TI access.

The TI connection and the associated use of the electronic applications require the acquisition of new technical components, such as:

- Broadband Internet connection (recommend a DSL, cable, or fiber-optic connection).

- PC and practice software

- Stationary eHealth card terminal (eHKT)

- TI connector (the connector is similar to an Internet router but at a much higher security level)

- VPN access service (the VPN access service provider offers access to the TI, similar to an Internet provider providing access to the Internet).

A model project (Section 125 of the German Social Code, Book XI) was set up to test the integration of care facilities into the TI. It has been set up to test the issue. The model program runs for the years 2020 to 2024 and is currently planned in two steps:

- Testing secure communication between service providers via KIM (type A projects).

- Testing of further TI applications (e.g. access to electronic HKP prescription, e-medication plan, etc.)

- as soon as the technical and legal prerequisites for this have been created (type B projects)

The Digital Healthcare Act (DVG) and the Patient Data Protection Act (PDSG) create the legal framework for connecting the care and social sector to the telematics infrastructure. The foundation for this has already been laid with the Act for Secure Digital Communication and Applications in Healthcare, which came into force in 2016. The National Agency for Digital Medicine (gematik) was commissioned to set up and operate the telematics infrastructure. More here: https://www.gematik.de

Once they are connected to the closed network, care facilities will also be able to access important health data quickly and easily in the future and exchange up-to-date information with other participants. This will make it easier for them to make the best decisions based on the right information and ensure high-quality care for their clients. Automating administrative and documentation processes can not only prevent input errors but also reduce the workload of caregivers. KIM (Communication in Medicine) is of particular interest to care facilities, as KIM enables barrier-free, authentic, and secure digital communication between all practitioners, service provider institutions, and payers in the German healthcare system via the TI. This means that queries can be clarified more quickly in day-to-day care, and the exchange of information (for example, current medication) and documents (for example, care transition) can take place in a targeted, simple and secure manner.

The initial equipment costs required during the definition, testing, and introduction phases of the TI, as well as the costs incurred during the ongoing operation of the TI, are reimbursed to care facilities by the long-term care insurance (Section 106 b SGB XI). The costs of procuring an eHealth connector, an inpatient eHealth card terminal, and the institutional ID card are also reimbursed to care facilities. Nursing facilities are granted a so-called TI start-up flat rate for the costs of online connection to the TI via VPN access service, implementation of the connector functions, and installation of the components. The nursing facility also receives a quarterly flat-rate operating fee for the operating costs incurred during ongoing operation and for the ongoing costs of the SMC-B institutional ID card. The entitlement to payment of the lump sums arises in the quarter in which the technical commissioning takes place. The proof is provided by the nursing facility to the billing office of the GKV-Spitzenverband using written confirmation from the respective service provider or comparable proof. The flat rates for operating costs are reduced by one-third in the first quarter of use for each full month in which the facility was not yet connected to the telematics infrastructure. The current reimbursement flat rates can be obtained from the GKV.