Gemalto recently confirmed it will provide AOK with an additional 15 million second-generation eHealth cards in 2012.
AOK (‘Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse’) is a Health Insurance Fund currently serving over a third of Germany, and had contracted Gemalto last year for providing it with two and a half million health cards under its German National Health Insurance Scheme. Both companies handling the large project agreed that Gemalto will oversee the complete card production process for AOK, currently the largest health insurance company in the country.
"Our goal is to continue increasing efficiency, quality and transparency for the medical service provided to our insurers,” said Mirko Weissbach, Project Manager Telematics at AOK Bundesverband. “The eGK and the creation of the telematics infrastructure is another important step in this direction. In 2011, Gemalto managed to issue the cards as required by law in a very short period of time. We do appreciate this fruitful collaboration."
The new Sealys eHealth card incorporates a portrait photo of the insured person on the front. Based on a secure authentication function of the operating system, the card ensures legitimacy of the rightful cardholder, effectively mitigating instances of fraud. Future plans also include use of the card for providing secure access to an online patient file and to store electronic prescriptions. If the cardholder is keen on including personal data pertaining to allergies or drug intolerance, the card can be customized accordingly to hold their information.
"Germany is leading the world in the development of eHealth cards,” stated Andreas Lösch, Vice-President, Gemalto. “With the new eGK card we are fulfilling a requirement for a secure online connection between users and their health insurance company. This is a key move towards e-services.”
By delivering eHealth cards to AOK, Gemalto has been successful in consolidating its position within the healthcare sector. The company is currently responsible for eHealthcare projects spanning eleven countries worldwide.
