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Why were e-prescriptions and patient records down on February 10, 2026?
If you experienced difficulties accessing medical services or online banking earlier this month, you were not alone. On February 10, 2026, the German healthcare sector faced a significant disruption to its telematics infrastructure (TI). This outage effectively blocked access to critical digital health services, including the electronic patient record (ePA) and electronic prescriptions (e-prescriptions) for several hours. While systems are now back online, understanding the technical failure points is crucial for medical professionals and patients relying on these digital tools.
Scope of the Telematics Infrastructure Failure
The disruption began early in the morning. Reports indicate that the electronic patient record (ePA) became unstable around 3:05 a.m. on February 10. By the start of the business day, medical practices found themselves unable to process digital transactions. The Gematik status page confirmed a “partial outage,” which severely limited the following operations:
- ePA Access: Insured individuals could not log in, set permissions, or access their file systems at the front end.
- e-Prescription Processing: The redemption of prescriptions using the electronic health card (eGK) failed. Doctors could not create or sign new prescriptions, and existing prescriptions were temporarily inaccessible or appeared deleted in apps.
- Provider Access: Service providers connecting via T-Systems were completely cut off from TI applications, including VSDM (Master Data Management) and KIM (Communication in Medicine).
The disruption was widespread but technically specific: it originated with the Sectoral Identity Provider of IBM Germany GmbH. This bottleneck prevented the necessary identity verification required to access the broader secure network.
Root Cause Analysis: The Frankfurt Data Center Incident
Technical investigations suggest a physical security trigger rather than a cyberattack. Credible reports point to a smoke detector alarm activation at a major data center in Frankfurt.
When a commercial data center’s fire suppression protocols engage, systems often perform an emergency shutdown to protect hardware. This safety mechanism appears to have taken large segments of the statutory health insurance (GKV) and telematics systems offline simultaneously. While Gematik reported the disruption resolved by approximately 11:00 a.m., the incident highlights the fragility of centralized physical infrastructure supporting nationwide digital health networks.
The DATEV Connection: Coincidence or Collateral Damage?
Parallel to the healthcare blackout, users of DATEV—the backbone of tax and legal accounting in Germany—reported access issues. While initial statements suggested scheduled maintenance, the timing aligns suspiciously with the Frankfurt incident.
- Observed Issues: Users faced restrictions accessing online banking and specific DATEV apps on February 9 and 10.
- The Link: Industry observers speculate that DATEV may host equipment in the same Frankfurt facility affected by the smoke alarm. If true, the “maintenance” may have been an unscheduled response to the facility’s power-down or fire suppression event.
Advisory Takeaway
For medical practitioners and IT administrators, this event serves as a reminder to maintain contingency plans. The reliance on a single Sectoral Identity Provider or data center can create single points of failure. While the systems have recovered, verifying that all delayed transactions from February 10 were successfully processed is recommended. The “partial” nature of the outage means some data packets sent during the window of instability may need reconciliation.