Under the current Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPRA), institutions offering inpatient treatment (acute hospitals, psychiatric clinics and rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes and birthing centres) must be able to use the EPR from April 2022.
The EPR evolves: from total revision to new legislation
To strengthen the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system, on 27 April 2022 the Federal Council resolved two steps to revise the legal basis. The aim is to promote the dissemination and use of the EPR among all stakeholders in the healthcare sector and to clarify the responsibilities of the federal government and the cantons, particularly in terms of funding.
The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) was tasked with preparing a total revision and transitional funding arrangements. Following the consultation process in summer 2023, which was largely positive, the Federal Council made important adjustments on 27 September 2024. On 5 November 2025, it submitted the new federal act and the corresponding dispatch to Parliament.
The future Electronic Health Record (E-HR) will also be based on HL7 FHIR and will be integrated into the Swiss Health Data Space (SwissHDS) as soon as this is implemented. This will create an adaptable and flexible digital ecosystem. In other words, the aim is to create a network of users, partners, applications and services that are connected in a digital space and meet the increasing demands of digitised healthcare.