ABSTRACT
Data flows in compulsory health insurance can take many forms and in the realization of the shared care paradigm are becoming more comprehensive and above all more intensive. Equally the personal data of those involved in the health care process must be protected according to the data protection laws. In shared care information systems, the concepts of data security and data protection that arise out of legal and ethical requirements and political, social, organizational and technical circumstances, and also out of the need for trustworthiness when sharing information, must be guaranteed to a high degree. The system architecture of a particular country's health and social welfare system defines the architecture and function of the communication and cooperation infrastructure. In the Federal Republic of Germany communication between the service providers and the cost units also needs to be regulated within the context of the existing constitutional data protection laws.
