Legal aspects of teleradiology

Summary It is hoped that the implementation of teleradiology will improve the quality and economic effectiveness of health care in the future. The German federal government has submitted a bill for a legal statute, thereby creating the necessary framework to guarantee the essential “document security”. The responsibility of those involved with orderly data transmission as well as the limited responsibility for physicians' findings are both governed by general liability. General principles apply also with regard to professional discretion. Authorized utilization of external networks depends upon the quality of data security. Networks with unlimited public access may not be used without explicit consent from those concerned.