German Data Protection Commissioner Urges Genuine Patient Choice as ePA Research Data Use Begins
The BfDI has issued recommendations, based on a survey of 1,500 insured persons, urging the German Federal Government to strengthen transparency and granular user controls in the electronic patient file (ePA). From the end of October 2026, pseudonymized medication list data can be extracted for research unless insured persons object. Compliance teams at organizations handling German health data should treat this as a signal of regulatory expectations on consent, control, and transparency.


