[Rare diseases, digitization, and the National Action League for People with Rare Diseases (NAMSE)]

People with rare diseases face specific challenges within the healthcare system. Due to the rarity of the individual diseases, both medical care and research are made difficult for structural, medical, and economic reasons. In 2010, the National Action League for People with Rare Diseases (NAMSE) was founded by the German Federal Ministry of Health, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Alliance for Chronic Rare Diseases, as well as 25 other partners. Since then, NAMSE has been the central coordination and communications platform for people with rare diseases in Germany and aims to improve the health and quality of life of those affected.As part of the consensus process, NAMSE has formulated requirements regarding digitization in the German healthcare system. These requirements aim towards connecting healthcare institutions, generating knowledge for research purposes, and improving the flow of information. The main objective is a collective and secure health data space with interoperable clinic information systems and uniform semantic standards. The precise coding of rare diseases is of particular importance.In the coming years, important processes that have already been initiated must be designed and supported in the interest of people with rare diseases. These include the German genome initiative genomDE, the implementation of the electronic patient record, and activities towards a European Health Data Space. In order for the diverse initiatives and projects to mesh, clear objectives are required as part of an overall digital concept to which NAMSE makes important contributions.