The ‘AOK Ident’ app: your secure access to digital health services

Usernames, PINs, passwords – ideally, all our login details are different. And, as a result, difficult to remember. The ‘AOK Ident’ app provides a solution to this problem, at least within the healthcare sector: once set up, you can log in easily and securely to services such as the electronic patient record (ePA) – and, in future, to ‘Meine AOK’ both on the web and via the app. This makes the ‘AOK Ident’ app the central key to your digital AOK services.

The ‘AOK Ident’ app is your digital identification app for the healthcare sector. It allows you to create and manage your HealthID – your personal digital identity, which you use to authenticate yourself when accessing electronic healthcare applications such as the electronic patient record (ePA).

Put simply: the GesundheitsID is your digital ID, and the ‘AOK Ident’ app is the application where this ID is stored and which you use to access it. You’ll need a smartphone to do this.

Download the “AOK Ident” app. You will then be guided through the registration process. You will need your eGK and an email address. Once registration is complete, you will be asked to verify your identity.

Both the identity card and the electronic health card (eGK) can only be used for identification purposes with their respective PINs. You will receive these PINs from different authorities.

You set the PIN for the online ID function of your identity card yourself: when you apply for the card, you will receive a PIN letter containing a one-off PIN, which you then convert into your own six-digit PIN – conveniently via an app on an NFC-enabled smartphone or directly at the Citizens’ Office. If you have forgotten your PIN or misplaced the letter, you must apply for a new PIN in person at your local council office.

The PIN for your eGK, on the other hand, is issued by your AOK – it is not sent automatically with the card, but must be requested separately. You can do this online if you have an identity card with an activated online ID function and your own PIN, your current NFC-enabled eGK and an NFC-enabled smartphone. If you do not meet any of these requirements, the easiest way to apply for the eGK PIN is to visit your local AOK branch in person.

Until now, the “AOK Ident” app has been closely linked to the “AOK Mein Leben” app. This is set to change: in future, the Ident app will operate independently. You will then be able to use it to register and log in to “Meine AOK”.

Important to note: When you log in to the “Meine AOK” app in future, your access authorisation will be verified in the background via the “AOK Ident” app. On the web, you will be prompted to scan a QR code, which will redirect you to the “AOK Ident” app for access verification. The “AOK Ident” app thus becomes the central access key for your digital AOK applications. On modern smartphones, you can also quickly and conveniently authorise the app using Face ID or your fingerprint. This requires that your biometric data has been recorded and activated on your smartphone.

With just one app, you can manage your access to multiple healthcare services – instead of having to remember different login details. Using the HealthID stored in the app, you will in future be able to access further digital healthcare applications. In future, the HealthID will also be able to be used as an alternative to the electronic health card (eGK) as proof of insurance, for example at your GP’s surgery.

You can create and manage your Health ID directly in the ‘AOK Ident’ app – once you’ve completed the one-off identification process (see info box), it’s ready to use straight away. Use of the app is voluntary.

The app itself is further protected: every use must be authorised, for example via fingerprint, Face ID or password. At regular intervals, you’ll also need to confirm your identity again – using your online ID card or your electronic health card and the corresponding PIN. This ensures that only you can use your Health ID.

The security of your data is of the utmost importance. To prevent unauthorised access to your sensitive data, we use what is known as two-factor authentication (2FA for short). This means that, instead of simply logging in with a password, you need a second form of verification to prove that you really are who you say you are. With the “AOK Ident” app, this involves having your smartphone with the app installed and providing personal authorisation – for example, via fingerprint, Face ID or a password. A stolen password alone is therefore of no use to criminals.

Your data is stored in encrypted form in a data centre in Germany and processed in accordance with European data protection regulations.

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