How do practices communicate securely with each other?

Why regular email is insufficient

An unencrypted email is comparable to a postcard. For health data – special categories under Art. 9 GDPR, plus confidentiality obligations under § 203 StGB – this is unacceptable.

Even a password-protected ZIP file only partially solves the problem, as the password is usually communicated via the same channel.

KIM

A service within the telematics infrastructure that enables encrypted and authenticated messages between registered participants. The operation is similar to email, with recipients coming from a verified directory.

Typical contents: medical letters, findings, billing documents, sick leave certificates.

TI Messenger

For brief real-time coordination, comparable to a messaging service – within a protected framework.

What practices need

• TI connection
• Registration with the service
• A practice management system that supports sending from the process

The third point determines usage: Those who have to switch to another program do it less frequently.

For communication with patients

KIM is intended for exchange between service providers, not for patient communication. Other methods are needed for that – such as a patient portal with secure access.