My health. My data. Under my control. My electronic patient record (EPR)

The digital health records allow you to manage all relevant health documents and to share them with your healthcare professionals. This improves the flow of information between the various contact partners and the efficiency of medical treatment. Open your EPR today and authorize your healthcare professionals to access it.

The Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPRA) contains rigorous provisions on data protection and data security. Post Sanela Health AG’s EPR meets all these requirements. All data is stored in Switzerland. The EPR also stipulates exactly who can access which documents.

patientrecord.ch is the official information website for eHealth Suisse, the Confederation and the cantons and provides further information on the EPR.

Post Sanela Health AG is a Swiss Post subsidiary. It operates the electronic patient record for the Sanela reference community, which includes hospitals, care homes, and healthcare practices and professionals.

Swiss Post clearly sees the benefits of the EPR, which is why it’s supporting Post Sanela Health AG and other reference communities with its rollout. Swiss Post supplies the technical infrastructure for the Sanela EPR, but also provides, in cooperation with the Sanela team, the digital self-onboarding service for the EPR used to open the EPR online.

Yes, the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Bern, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Zug and Zurich currently provide the digital self-onboarding service for the EPR free of charge. Alternatively, you can open your EPR at a record opening center. In all other Swiss cantons, a one-time fee of CHF 15 is charged to open an EPR with the digital self-onboarding service.

The EPR is free of charge for citizens. The costs of opening and operating the EPR are covered by the cantons and Confederation to promote its rollout. The digital self-onboarding service for the EPR is available free of charge in the participating cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Bern, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden,  Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Zug and Zurich. In all other Swiss cantons, a one-time fee of CHF 15 is charged to open an EPR with Post Sanela Health AG’s digital self-onboarding service.

You can apply for your EPR at a record opening center. Please note that even for this option, you need an eID, valid mobile phone number and an e-mail address. To manage your EPR, you also need Internet access.

The digital self-onboarding service for the EPR is currently available in German, French, Italian and English.

• Residency in Switzerland.
• To open your EPR free of charge, you have to reside in one of the participating cantons: Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land, Bern, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, St. Gallen, Zug or Zurich.
• You must be aged 18 or over.
• You don’t yet have an EPR.
• A stable Internet connection (e.g. WLAN or 3G).
• A smartphone.
• A minimum of iPhone 7 with iOS 15 and Touch ID/Face ID or
• At least an Android device with operating system 10 and NFC functionality and fingerprint, at least 4 GB RAM, 4 processor cores and a camera with 16 MP (360 MB RAM must be available when using the app)
• Access to your e-mail account.
• Biometric passport or identity card (Switzerland or EU/EEA; exception: German identity card); if you use an ID card to verify your identity, this has to be checked manually.
• Your login details for SwissID from SwissSign; alternatively, you can create a SwissID account during the onboarding process.
• The SwissID App installed on your smartphone; otherwise, you will be requested to install it during onboarding.
• We recommend starting the opening process on a PC. However, all steps can also be completed on your smartphone.

If you have all the required documents available, it takes about 20–30 minutes to open the digital EPR. It’ll take a bit longer if you have to download the SwissID App (free), create a SwissID or complete your existing SwissID for identification and signature. Please note that if you use an ID card to verify your identity, this will be checked manually, and you’ll be notified as soon as the process to open your digital EPR can be continued.

1. You meet the requirements and have all the required information available.
   
   
2. You start the digital self-onboarding process for the EPR and select your canton.
   
   
3. You are directed to SwissID’s website. If you already have a SwissID account (e.g. for login at Swiss Post), then sign in. Otherwise, you’ll be requested to create an account. Two-factor authentication is required for security reasons.
   
   
4. If your SwissID account doesn’t yet have a verified EPR-compliant identity and digital signature, you’ll be asked to complete your account. To do so, open the camera on your mobile phone, scan the QR code and follow the instructions to install the latest version of the SwissID App from the App Store or Google Play. Go back to start the next step. To prepare your SwissID account for the EPR, please complete the following steps: activate identity verification signature and sign the application forms. To do so, scan the info card in your passport with the SwissID App. Then place your smartphone on your closed passport to read the biometric data using the NFC function. Complete the identification process with a video selfie. If you use an ID card to verify your identity, this will be checked manually, and you’ll be notified as soon as the onboarding process can be continued. The next step is activating the signature service in the SwissID App. You can now find the application form for the EPR directly in the SwissID App, and the form can be signed digitally. Your SwissID login is now EPR-compliant.
   
   Important: Please make a note of the recovery code for your SwissID and keep it in a secure place.
   
   
5. Go back to Post Sanela Health AG’s website and complete the declaration of consent. This is sent to the SwissID App for signing.
   
   
6. You then sign the declaration of consent digitally in the SwissID App. The signed document is available for download on the Sanela website.
   
   
7. You receive your one-time login details (username and password) for the EPR via e-mail and SMS. Follow the link in the e-mail, and select the “Username and password” option to log in to your EPR for the first time. Then enter your login details for SwissID to link the EPR with SwissID.
   
   
8. Your EPR is now available. You can now upload documents independently, manage access and request your healthcare professionals to store key documents here. The EPR, which is empty to begin with, is gradually filled up.

When accessing your EPR for the first time, follow these steps:

1. Open the homepage of the EPR portal, or follow the link you received by e-mail from Post Sanela Health AG.
   
   
2. Enter your one-time login details (username and password that you received via e-mail and SMS) in the “Username and password” section.
   
   
3. Link your SwissID with your EPR by selecting “SwissID” in the next step and logging in with your SwissID.

You can now access your EPR with your SwissID at any time. Select the “SwissID” section on the EPR portal’s homepage and enter your login details.

You’ll find lots of information and answers in our FAQ. If the problem persists, contact our support team:

For questions about SwissID/SwissSign (SwissID App, identity verification, signature service)

E-mail: support@swissid.ch

Tel.: 0848 99 88 00 (Mon–Fri, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

Other questions on the online opening procedure:

E-mail: support.sanela@swisspost.ch

Please describe your problem as accurately as possible.

The digital self-onboarding service for the EPR is currently available only to people of full legal age. Anyone under 18 and people who are not capable of judgement can have an EPR opened for them by a legal representative, such as their parents, at an EPR opening center. In future, representatives will also be able to use the digital self-onboarding service for the EPR.

Only persons of full legal age can currently open an EPR for themselves personally via the digital self-onboarding service. Anyone under 18 and people who are not capable of judgement can have the EPR opened for them by a legal representative, such as their parents, at an EPR opening center. In future, representatives will also be able to use the digital self-onboarding service for the EPR.

Either an iPhone 7 with iOS 15 (or newer) or an Android device with operating system 10 (or newer) with NFC functionality. Older devices don’t meet the technical requirements. Operating systems other than Apple iOS and Android are not widely used enough in Switzerland, so are currently not supported.

You can apply for your EPR at a record opening center. Please note that even for this option, you need an eID, valid mobile phone number and an e-mail address. To manage your EPR, you also need Internet access.

The Federal Act on the Electronic Patient Record (EPRA) stipulates that anyone wishing to access an EPR must have an EPR-compliant electronic identity. SwissID from Swiss Post’s subsidiary SwissSign is a proven and secure method for verifying digital identity and meets the EPRA’s requirements.

The digital self-onboarding service for the EPR works only with SwissID. If you apply for your EPR at an EPR opening center, you’ll also need an eID – other eID solutions can be used here in addition to SwissID.

The easiest way to verify your identity is with a biometric passport. An identity card issued by Switzerland or the EU/EEA can also be used to verify your identity (SwissSign’s complete list, excluding German identity card). If you use an ID card to verify your identity, this will be checked manually, and you’ll be notified as soon as the process to open your digital EPR can be continued.

More information on setting up a SwissID account, identity verification and the signature service can be found on SwissID’s website.