German doctors threaten to boycott patient record project

The introduction of electronic health record cards in Germany has finally started, but doctors are threatening to boycott Germany's largest information technology project unless the financial terms are renegotiated.

A new expert report on the costs of the project has led to fears among doctors that they will have to contribute far more than the estimated €1500 (£1010; $1950) for each practice for new computer software and hardware.

The health ministry says that it will cost about €1.6bn overall. But expert advice by the technology consulting firm Booz Allen …