Digital care applications (DiPA)

Digital care applications, or DiPA for short, are designed to help care recipients to maintain or improve their independence and specific capabilities, and to prevent their need for care from progressing further. 

Digital care applications are available as:

• apps for use on a smartphone
• web applications that can be used via a browser on a computer or laptop/notebook

Care recipients with assigned care grades 1 to 5 are entitled to reimbursement of up to 50 euros per month for:

• use of digital care applications
• supplementary support services if these are required

A wide range of care apps and web applications is available on the internet and in app stores. However, not all of these can be recommended without reservation.

The costs of digital care applications will only be reimbursed if they have been approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Claims for reimbursement can be submitted to long-term care insurance funds once a DiPA is listed in the DiPA directory. It is expected that the first DiPA will be included in the directory over the course of 2024.

The entitlement to DiPA and supplementary support services enables people in need of care to use high-quality, safe digital products. The approval process is designed to ensure the quality and safety of a DiPA.

Digital care applications (DiPA) can be used by care recipients alone or by care recipients together with their family carers or approved care services.

Digital care applications (DiPA) are intended to be used in the following areas:

• DiPA that provide guidance and support on a daily basis to improve the independence or capabilities of the care recipient or seek to prevent their need for care from progressing further – including, in particular, guidance and support in areas of life that are assessed as part of the care assessment, as well as in the area of household management
• DiPA that help care recipients to organize and manage their own care on a daily basis
• DiPA that provide support in special care situations, for example, by helping care recipients improve their own state of health – for example, apps with exercises to help reduce the risk of falls or memory training exercises for people with dementia
• DiPA that can be used mainly by family carers or other voluntary carers for the benefit of the care recipient

Applications that are limited to the following objectives only are not regarded as DiPA: 

• support in relation to the basic necessities of life or general lifestyle
• work organization for care services
• transfer of knowledge, information or communication
• applying for or managing benefits
• information about the availability and use of social security benefits

Long-term care insurance funds only cover the costs of digital care applications (DiPA) that are listed in the DiPA directory.

The directory also specifies whether and which supplementary support services can be covered for individual care applications.

Care recipients need to submit an application to the long-term care insurance funds for the DiPA as well as the supplementary support service and have their application approved.

The long-term care insurance funds initially approve a DiPA for no more than 6 months. Within this approval period, they check whether the DiPA is actively used and if it is fulfilling its purpose in each individual case. If they determine that it is, the approval becomes permanent.

If, for example, some features of a DiPA are used that are not listed in the DiPA directory or if the cost of the DiPA and the supplementary support service exceeds the monthly benefit of 50 euros, the additional costs must be covered by the care recipients themselves.

If a digital care application is listed in the DiPA directory, this serves as a seal of approval indicating that this product is high-quality, safe and functionally suitable for use in care. Every application in the DiPA directory will have been approved in advance by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM).

BfArM will assess the quality of a digital application based on the following criteria:

• accessibility
• age-appropriate usability
• robustness
• consumer and data protection
• quality of the care-related content
• support for care recipients, loved ones and approved care services in using the digital care application

Digital care applications must also demonstrate benefits for care.

Anyone interested in digital care applications will soon be able to find a list of all approved DiPA online in the DiPA directory of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM).