Millions of doctor’s letters by post: Doctolib wants to ban fax machines from doctor’s offices

Millions of doctor’s letters by mail
Doctolib wants to ban fax machines from medical practices

09/06/2023, 09:00 am

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Call the doctor’s office, hang in the queue, eventually get an appointment and then receive a doctor’s letter by letter or fax. Or something like that is everyday life for patients and doctors. Doctolib wants to change that and is already reaching 15 million people in Germany with its online booking tool for appointments. “The healthcare system has been patiently lagging behind in digitization for a very long time,” says Doctolib Germany boss Nikolay Kolev in the ntv podcast “So techt Deutschland”.

The introduction of the e-prescription is proof that digitization is progressing in Germany. But it is also a sign of how sluggishly this works. Because just like the electronic patient file, the electronic prescription has also been discussed for a long time. The German healthcare system can hardly afford any delays, criticizes Kolev. “Doctors are under massive pressure and not just since Covid.” The manager calculates that 44 million check-ups have been missed since the pandemic.

In addition, there are mountains of paperwork in the hospitals and medical practices. 144 million doctor’s letters are sent by post in Germany every year. The fax machine is still an important means of communication. “It can’t be like that,” says the Doctolib boss.

The digitization of processes must be a real advantage and relief for those involved, says Kolev. And the pressure is great. “We have a shortage of skilled workers in all industries, but nowhere as intensely as in the healthcare industry. That means almost every fourth medical skilled worker is missing,” says Kolev.

But Doctolib wants even more in the future: “We are currently also working on our own practice management system. That means we are ultimately moving step by step from the consulting room to the treatment room,” reveals Kolev.