Apps upon Prescription?
Last 18th February, 2019 NESTORE partners were attending the event "Apps upon Prescription? Discussing mHealth Quality and Reimbursement" organised by AIM. The discussions provided insightful inputs for the reflections of NESTORE with regard to exploitation.
The event was the occasion for AIM - International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies to recall that only clinical and financial evidence will support the reimbursement of an app by a healthcare insurance funds. This applies to medical apps only – and leave wellbeing apps out of the scope of potential reimbursement.
But what differences could help us sort out the wide variety of apps available on the market and those under development? According to Dorothee Meusch, Techniker from Krankenkasse Germany, the authorization and actual reimbursement will be considered based on the risk the app entails. Medical apps can fall into three categories:
1. Those providing generic information (e.g. on a specific medication): not considered as a medical product
2. Those providing recommendations: considered as a digital medical product
3. Those providing a diagnosis (replacing a healthcare provider): considered as a digital medical product.
