In 2011, the Cross-border Healthcare Directive introduced a general framework to clarify patients’ rights with regard to accessing cross-border healthcare provision; guarantee the safety, quality and efficiency of care that they will receive in another EU Member State; and promote cooperation between Member States on healthcare matters. Member States had to pass their national laws implementing the Directive (transposition) until 25 October 2013. The European Commission is tasked to monitor that the transposition is implemented correctly in a timely fashion.

Technopolis worked with partner organisations KPMG and empirica to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of the Directive for DG SANTE through desk research, a series of surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, including National Contact Points, healthcare providers, healthcare insures, patient organisations and national authorities across the EU, and pseudo-patient investigation. The study covered all 28 Member States with in-depth assessment of 12 focus countries to sample different structural, organisational and economic features with respect to their healthcare system.

The study design focussed on specific evaluation questions grouped according to the following main areas:

• Reimbursement of cross-border healthcare;
• Quality and safety of cross-border healthcare;
• Undue delay;
• Administrative burden.

Stakeholders consulted in this study indicated that the number of patients that made use of cross-border healthcare under this Directive is still very low. The study thus could not make use of extensive quantitative data from Member States, or measure the full effects of the Directive’s implementation in its initial years. Nevertheless the study succeeded in providing insights into the implementation of the Directive by broad sampling and identifying the main trends and obstacles. The report has provided a baseline analysis of the various dimensions of the Directive and an up-to-date guidance to policy makers about the overall operation of the Directive in the first years of its implementation.

Technopolis project team included Jelena Angelis, Anke Nooijen, Francie Sadeski, and Peter Varnai.

For more information, follow the links below: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/final-report-evaluative-study-cross-border-healthcare-directive http://ec.europa.eu/health/cross_border_care/key_documents/index_en.htm

Peter Varnai
Partner