Germany’s Digital Health Reforms in the COVID-19 Era: Lessons and Opportunities for Other Countries

Reimbursement is a key challenge for many novel digital health solutions. Germany’s new Digital Healthcare Act (Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz or DVG) entitles all individuals covered by statutory health insurance to reimbursement for certain digital health applications (i.e., insurers will pay for their use). Since Germany, like the US, is a multi-payer health care system, the new Act provides a particularly interesting case study for US policymakers. We first explain the relevant changes encompassed in the German DVG and provide an overview of the landscape for reimbursement of digital health solutions in the US. We then discuss challenges and unanswered questions raised by the DVG, ranging from the limited scope of the Act to privacy issues. Lastly, we highlight early lessons and opportunities for other countries.