New eAU regulation: Statutory health insurance doctors must submit sick notes online

A new regulation concerning the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) has been in effect since January 1, 2023. All statutory health insurance doctors are now obliged to send sick notes online to the statutory health insurance companies. At the same time, employers are obliged to retrieve this information in a time-consuming manner.

What is the eAU?

With the entry into force of Section 5 Paragraph 1a EFZG, medical practices must transmit every sick note from statutory health insurance patients electronically. The previous method of forwarding a sick note to the employer independently is no longer necessary. Health insurance companies thus receive comprehensive data on the health status of the patients, which was previously only required in individual cases for sickness benefit applications.

Challenges for employers and patients

The new requirements pose major challenges for health insurance companies, as manual processing of the eAU remains necessary. Many doctor’s offices are also not optimally equipped digitally, which can lead to employers receiving information about the incapacity to work late or not at all. This could jeopardize continued payment of wages.

How to get a sick note correctly

Despite the new regulation, patients should keep the sick note on paper to avoid problems in the event of a delayed transmission. Private patients are not affected by the new regulation and can continue to submit their sick note to their employer. Patients with statutory health insurance can also use a private sick note, which offers the advantage of being able to do this conveniently online.

rights of employees

Employers are obliged to accept the private DrAnsay AU. Accepting private medical AU certificates is a right of patients with statutory health insurance. Employers should inform themselves about the applicable regulations in order to avoid unnecessary effort and stress.

support from employers

DrAnsay offers companies various solutions to support their employees with sick notes. In the basic version, discount coupons can be offered that give employees a 50% discount. In the premium version, companies can cover the entire cost.

Digital healthcare from DrAnsay

DrAnsay setzt sich für eine patientenorientierte Gesundheitsversorgung ein. Patienten können online Krankschreibungen und Arzttermine vereinbaren, ohne das Haus verlassen zu müssen. Dies reduziert das Risiko einer Ansteckung und fördert eine schnellere Genesung.

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