The start-up’s digital health app (DiGA) to treat lower back pain has been approved by Germany’s central regulatory body BfArM, making it available free of charge for all patients with health insurance.

What started as an innovative business idea at Leipzig’s SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator almost ten years ago is now a reality: Start-up eCovery has developed a therapy app for lower back pain that has been approved for listing by Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). The app has been added to the official DiGA directory and can now be prescribed to patients 18 and over suffering from back pain – estimated to be around 26 million people in Germany.

The company collaborated closely with doctors, physical therapists, and health insurance providers to develop the app.
How it works: Patients receive a prescription, submit it to their health insurance provider, and gain access to the eCovery app. During the 12-week video-based therapy program, the app adapts to patients’ fitness levels and tracks their progress. The app can be prescribed as a supplement or alternative to other forms of treatment, with the goal of quick and long-term reduction of lower back pain.

The QM- and data security certified app covers 17 different diagnoses and can be integrated into other systems within Germany’s health-care landscape, such as the electronic patient record (ePA). More than 60,000 patients have already used the app to address their symptoms.

Find out more at: ecovery.de