What actors are involved in the EPR?
Confederation
The Confederation is actively involved in implementing Switzerland’s eHealth strategy, primarily through the drafting of the Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPRA). The legal basis and standards for the EPR apply throughout Switzerland.
The Confederation is responsible for legislation and for the central query services. This includes, for example, the EPR directory with all participating healthcare professionals and groups of healthcare professionals. This allows patients to find their healthcare professional and grant them access.
Cantons
As the responsible bodies for healthcare provision, the cantons ensure that their respective legal systems are compatible with the overarching federal legislation, and that EPR providers are established in their region. In some cases, the cantons also support the setup and operation of EPR providers in their territory.
eHealth Suisse
The Confederation and cantons jointly set up the ‘eHealth Suisse’ competence and coordination centre, which has been coordinating work related to the EPR and digital networking in healthcare since 2008.
EPR-providers
EPR providers are technical-organisational networks of healthcare professionals and their institutions. They provide the electronic patient record via their platform, administer records and link healthcare professionals with their patients.
Issuers of electronic identities
The issuers of electronic identities issue patients and healthcare professionals with electronic identities after carrying out identity checks. Every time someone accesses the EPR, the issuers confirm the identity of the requesting person to the EPR provider.
Internal link: List of issuers of electronic identities
External link: Find out more about electronic identities (in German, French or Italian)
EPR platform providers
Platform providers are technical providers who build and operate the EPR platforms according to the requirements set out in the Federal Act. They take care of the technical aspects of the platforms.
External link: Post Digital Health (Siemens, ITH icoserve)
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