Europe for patients: Common rules on medical prescriptions when travelling to another EU country

The Commission adopted pan-EU rules on a minimum list of elements to be included in a medical prescription taken by a patient travelling from one EU country to another. The provisions for a common way to identify the patient, the prescriber and the prescribed product, are to be put into national law by the Member States by 25 October 2013. Coordination of medical prescriptions for both medicinal products (pharmaceuticals) and medical devices will improve the authentication of cross-border prescriptions and translate into an estimated extra 200 000 prescriptions dispensed every year, benefiting patients and health authorities by avoiding delays, interruptions in treatment and extra costs.

Mr Tonio Borg, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said: "Last year, the Commission adopted legislation on patients' rights in cross-border healthcare. Today's adoption of a code of practice for cross-border prescriptions is an essential step in achieving the main goal of this legislation: ensuring that patients' rights to access good quality treatment across EU borders becomes a reality. These rules will help secure that patients travelling to another Member State get the medicine they need in the country where they are thanks to clear cross-border prescriptions".

Solving real-life problems

Overall, the number of cross-border prescriptions is estimated to be low, around 2,3 million per year – which translates to between 0.02% and 0.04% of all prescriptions in the EU. Nevertheless, for specific groups of patients, improving the recognition of cross-border prescriptions makes an important difference. For example, for patients with chronic diseases wishing to travel to another country, for patients living in border regions or smaller Member States for whom filling out a cross-border prescription is a necessity and for patients with a rare disease, where the best expertise can be found across a border.

With the current diversity of prescriptions across the EU, it is estimated that over half of patients would have problems with their prescription being recognised in another EU country. 

The guidelines in practice

The new rules on Prescriptions take the form of an Implementing Directive. They introduce a common set of descriptive elements to help identify prescribers, patients and prescribed products. They do not, however, deal with the appearance, format or language of the prescription. Nor do they preclude further elements, in line with local practices, being added by prescribers. These common elements are limited to cross-border prescriptions requested by the patient, not prescriptions used within a country (unless a Member State so chooses).

National Contact Points, established under the Cross-border healthcare Directive will inform patients on the right to travel with a cross-border prescription when visiting another Member State as well as the minimum list of elements that it should contain.

For more information on cross-border healthcare, including prescriptions:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/cross_border_care/policy/index_en.htm

Source

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1422_en.htm

Conference for the Electronic Prescribing in Hospitals

Tuesday 22 January 2013 ICO Conference Centre, London

This one day conference focuses on delivering electronic prescribing and medicines administration in hospitals - moving forward 

• Electronic Prescribing: Delivering the Information Strategy 
• Developing the business case for Electronic Prescribing 
• Electronic Prescribing: Learning from experienced implementers 
• Realising the Clinical Benefits and engaging Clinical Staff 
• Implementing e-prescribing and medicines administration in practice 
• Electronic Prescribing, Medication Errors and Patient Safety 
• Electronic Prescribing as part of the paperless hospital including moving into more complex areas 
• Electronic Prescribing: Next Steps 

The programm is HERE.


Source

http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/electronic-prescribing-in-hospitals

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and good health to all!

2012, which soon comes to an end, fills us with memories of a period of hardship due to the financial crisis and its consequences, but also of a year full of new projects and new partnerships offering an optimistic view for the future.

We are looking forward to a new productive year, wishing you all Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a happy, peaceful and creative 2013!

European Hospital and Community Pharmacists issue joint statement on future pharmacist roles

The two organisations representing community and hospital pharmacists in Europe have come together to make a declaration on the development of the pharmacy profession.

The joint statement by the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) and the European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) represents a call to action to national governments to, firstly, enable pharmacists to increase their role in optimising patient use of medicines, and, secondly, to improve the systems supporting multi-professional care across Europe.
EAHP and PGEU believe that pharmacists, as experts in medicines, should be at the heart of national strategies to ensure best outcomes for patients. This includes pharmacists educating patients about the optimal use of their medicines, and helping to ensure that potential polypharmacy problems, which can arise when a patient takes multiple medications, are satisfactorily resolved and reconciled.
The development of these roles for pharmacists is especially relevant in view of Europe’s ageing population, combined with the pressures on public spending that are likely for the foreseeable future. In this sense, it has never been more important to ensure national spending on medicines achieves intended outcomes in a cost-effective manner.

Pharmacists, in both community and hospital settings, are uniquely placed to facilitate this, so long as health policy makers recognise the opportunity and make the necessary commitments to its achievement.

Finally, the joint statement also highlights the need for multi-professional approaches to healthcare delivery to ensure integrated and seamless patient care. This includes improving systems for communication between health sectors when a patient transfers between hospital and community (and vice-versa), especially in relation to situations where changes are made to a patient’s medication.
PGEU and EAHP call for commitment from Governments to achieving multi-professional care, and for the integration of the multi-professional team concept within health professional education curriculums.

Speaking on the publication of the statement, Dr. Roberto Frontini, EAHP President said:

“The joint statement by EAHP and PGEU represents our shared goals in maximising the benefits the health service derives from pharmacists’ expertise in medicines. More than ever before decision makers in the health sector must ask and answer important questions about improving value and the outcomes achieved for patients. The pharmacist’s positive role in ensuring optimal use of medicines by patients is therefore a central consideration to successfully meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Ms Isabelle Adenot, PGEU President said:

“While patients receive primary care as well as hospital-based care, European pharmacists practice in both settings and share the challenge of improving the rational use of medicines. Having a common roadmap can help them to progress. This is the purpose of our joint statement.”

Statement here.

Source

http://www.eahp.eu/news/EU-monitor

Putting patients in the driving seat: A digital future for healthcare

The European Commission has unveiled an Action Plan to address barriers to the full use of digital solutions in Europe's healthcare systems. The goal is to improve healthcare for the benefit of patients, give patients more control of their care and bring down costs. While patients and health professionals are enthusiastically using telehealth solutions and millions of Europeans have downloaded smartphone apps to keep track of their health and wellbeing, digital healthcare has yet to reap its great potential to improve healthcare and generate efficiency savings.

The Action Plan (full list of actions in MEMO/12/959) attempts to increase the pace of change and improvement in healthcare by:

• clarifying areas of legal uncertainty;
• improving interoperability between systems;
• increasing awareness and skills among patients and healthcare professionals; 
• putting patients at the centre with initiatives related to personal health management and supporting research into personalised medicine; 
• ensuring free legal advice for start-up eHealth businesses. 

The Commission also commits to issue a mHealth (Mobile Health) Green Paper by 2014 addressing quality and transparency issues.

An accompanying Staff Working Paper gives a legal overview of how current EU legislation applies to cross border telemedicine (services such as teleradiology, teleconsultation or telemonitoring). Currently, telemedicine falls within the scope of several legal instruments. The paper clarifies the issues a healthcare practitioner faces in delivering cross-border telemedicine, for example:

• Do they need to be licensed/registered in the Member State of the patient?
• How should health data be processed? Will a given service be reimbursable? 
• What is the liability regime applicable in case of legal action? 

Neelie Kroes, Commission Vice President for the Digital Agenda, said "Europe's healthcare systems aren't yet broken, but the cracks are beginning to show. It's time to give this 20th Century model a health check. The new European eHealth Action Plan sets out how we can bring digital benefits to healthcare, and lift the barriers to smarter, safer, patient-centred health services."

Tonio Borg, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said: "eHealth solutions can deliver high quality, patient-centric, healthcare to our citizens. eHealth brings healthcare closer to people and improves health systems' efficiency. Today's Action Plan will help turn the eHealth potential into better care for our citizens. The eHealth Network under the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive channels our joint commitment to find interoperable solutions at EU level."

Members of the new eHealth Network, established by the Cross-border Healthcare Directive will help implement the Action Plan and provide a direct link to the national healthcare authorities and government departments.

Background

The new eHealth Action Plan responds to the 2009 request of Member States. To prepare the new plan, the Commission ran a public consultation in 2011.

The Digital Agenda for Europe includes three specific actions on eHealth aimed at widespread deployment of telemedicine, patients' access to their health data and interoperability.

Despite the economic crisis, the global telemedicine market grew from $9.8 billion in 2010 to $11.6 billion in 2011, while the global mHealth market is set to grow to €17.5 billion a year by 2017.

Some EU governments are spending up to 15% of their budgets on healthcare.

These facts indicate fast-changing situation that the eHealth Action plan must be flexible enough to address.

The European Commission has been active in eHealth for over a decade. Past Commission actions include:

• 2004 first eHealth action plan.
• 2008 Commission Communication on telemedicine.
• 2008 Large scale pilot Renewing Health, which is measuring the efficiency and cost effectiveness of telemedicine services across 9 regions of Europe.
• 2008 Recommendation on interoperable Electronic Health Records.
• 2011 adoption of the first EU law with provisions on the inter-operability of eHealth, the Directive on Patients' rights in cross border healthcare.
• 2011 epSOS Large Scale pilot has brought together 23 countries to pilot cross-border patient summaries and ePrescription services across Europe.
• 2011 European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIPAHA) which builds on 261 commitments from over 3000 EIP AHA stakeholders to improve the quality of life of four million European senior citizens between now and 2015. The commitments include the roll out of integrated care and chronic disease management using innovative telemonitoring solutions.
• 2012 Launch of the eHealth Network bringing together all EU Member States to work on guidelines for the interoperability of eHealth.

For more information

EHealth action plan 2012-2020: Frequently Asked Questions (MEMO/12/959)

Ehealth website http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/european-ehealth-policy

Commissioner Neelie Kroes:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/

http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/neelie-kroes/

http://twitter.com/neeliekroeseu

Commissioner Tonio Borg:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/borg/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ehealth/policy/index_en.htm

eHealth Action Plan and Staff Working document, Staff Working Paper on Telemedicine:

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/news-redirect/9139

Source

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1333_en.htm

Call for expressions of interest in membership in the Expert Panel to provide advice on effective ways of investing in health

The European Commission has published a Call for expressions of interest in membership in the multisectoral and independent Expert Panel to provide advice on effective ways of investing in health(708 KB) . The Expert Panel has been established by Commission Decision 2012/C 198/06 of 5 July 2012.
The work of the panel is based on the principles of excellence, independence, multi-sectorial approach and transparency.
Members of the panel are appointed by the Commission on the basis of their expertise in one or more of the fields of expertise and collectively cover the widest possible range of disciplines. The fields of expertise are set out in detail in Annex I to Decision 2012/C 198/06 and include:

• health planning and budget prioritisation
• health services research
• hospital and health care management
• health care provision, and
• health education and promotion

Members are appointed to the panel for a term of three years and may serve up to three consecutive terms.
If interested, please fill out the online application form which is available in Adobe Acrobat pdf format only. Please attach also a CV and list of publications. The application form is available at the internet link below.
The closing date for the submission of applications is 23 November 2012.
Only online applications submitted via this Internet site will be considered.
More information on the Call Expert Panel is available here.

Contact information
For any further information on this call, please contact
SANCO-CALL-PANEL@ec.europa.eu

Source

http://ec.europa.eu/health/healthcare/consultations/call_expertpanel_healthinnovation_en.htm