Brussels backs cross border healthcare
EU Commissioner believes that cross border healthcare records can be furthered by The European Patients Smart Open Services
Previously, in the European Commission publication, “Ehealth is worth it”, there were case studies presented of certain EU countries who demonstrated how ehealth works effectively within their national health care systems. For instance, Sweden has its own online pharmacy system which allows 42% of prescriptions to be transferred from doctor to a pharmacy electronically. In Romania there is quicker ambulance service provided due to global positioning systems which means that emergency operators can locate an emergency themselves without a victim having to alert them. Both the above actions, if transferred to EU level, would have several economic, social and safety gains for cross border health care.
Recently, an Ehealth initiative seems more imminent than before due to the actions of the European Patients Smart Open Services (EPSOS). Neelie Kroes, the new Commissioner responsible for the EU digital agenda has stated that she has high hopes for EPSOS whose current mission is to work on developing a method of sharing electronic health records (EHR's). She raised this issue at the ehealth conference in Barcelona on 15 March 2010.
This pan European mission currently involves 12 European countries. These countries include representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Spain, Italy and Greece. The funding for the EPSOS project originates partly from the European Commission and it is currently focusing on piloting interoperability between the EHR's of these participating member states. This project has been running from July 2008 and will run for three years from then on.
Kroes suggests that a system for electronic health allows the patient to have better control over their own healthcare and will permit a quicker recovery of any economic loss within the EU healthcare system. She also feels that this initiative will build upon the health and technology systems in the EU and that ehealth and ICT are the fastest growing industries in the EU at the moment. Therefore, the development of these two industries can not only pave the way for a successful future for patients but also for businesses and tax savings.