Innovation in eHealth
European Commission Policy Agenda
Pēteris Zilgalvis, J.D.
Head of Unit, ICT for Health
DG Information Society and Media
19 April, 2012
ICT for Health
Achieving a transparent and innovative market
where competition will give us better quality,
secure eHealth systems and services at a lower
price for the benefit of the end user.
Defining the scope of eHealth
1. Clinical information systems
a) Specialised tools for health professionals within care institutions
b) Tools for primary care and/or for outside the care institutions
2. Telemedicine systems and services
3. Regional/national health information networks
including electronic health record systems and associated services
4. Secondary usage / non-clinical systems
a) Systems for medical education, research, public health
b) Health education and health promotion of patients/citizens
EC instruments to make eHealth reality!
Mix of policy and research activities:
 Research instrument:
Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7)
Personal Health Systems, Patient Safety, Virtual Physiological
Human (~100M€/year)
 Policy activities:
Communications/Recommendations/Directives
eHealth Ministerial Conference / eHealth Week
Stakeholders' Group / Task Force
Studies
 Support implementation and deployment:
Competitiveness Innovation Programme (CIP ICT PSP): Large
Scale Pilots on Interoperability and Telemedicine +
Thematic Networks
Digital Agenda for Europe:
Sustainable economic and social benefits for all from a
flourishing digital economy
eHealth in the DAE
Sustainable healthcare and ICT-based
support for dignified and independent
living
eHealth actions in DAE
KA 13 Undertake pilot actions to equip
Europeans with secure online access to their
medical health data by 2015 and to achieve by
2020 widespread deployment of telemedicine
services;
EMPOWERMENT
eHealth actions in DAE
KA14 Propose a recommendation defining a
minimum common set of patient data for
interoperability of patient records […] by 2012
CONTINUITY OF CARE +
INTEROPERABILITY
+ Foster EU-wide standards, interoperability
testing and certification of eHealth systems by
2015 through stakeholder dialogue
European Innovation Partnership on
Active and Healthy Ageing
Objectives and headline target
A triple win for Europe:
• Enabling EU citizens to lead healthy, active and independent
lives until old age
• Improving the sustainability and efficiency of social and health
care systems
• Developing and deploying innovative solutions, thus fostering
competitiveness and market growth
Overarching goal by 2020:
• Increasing the number of healthy life years (HLYs) by 2 in the
EU on average
•
http://ec.europa.eu/active-healthy-ageing
6 action areas:
By 2015
• Health literacy, patient empowerment, ethics and
adherence
• Early diagnosis and prevention of specific conditions
• Prevention diagnosis and management of functional
decline in older people
• Integrated care for chronic diseases, including remote
monitoring
• Active and independent living
• Age friendly buildings, cities and environments
Cross Border Care and eHealth
• Article 14 Voluntary Network on e-health to be
set-up first half 2012
• Key instrument to strengthen MS cooperation
• Can provide important feedback in areas such as
telemedicine
EU-US Memorandum of Understanding
on eHealth
Signed: 17/12/2010 by EC / US Dept Health and Human Services
• Cooperation surrounding health related information and
communications technologies
Focus:
• key areas where scope for progress for the benefits of patients,
healthcare systems and the economy
• interoperability standards and specifications for EHR systems as
well as the development of a skilled health IT workforce
• important step to tackling market defragmentation by creating
global conditions for common approaches to interoperability and
standardisation
•
Electronic Health Records and
Privacy Issues
epSOS project
• Provides cross border services that support safe, secure and
efficient medical treatment for citizens when travelling across
Europe
• Focuses on services close to the patient:
• Patient Summary for EU Citizens
Occasional Visitors or Regular Visitors
• ePrescribing for EU Citizens
Medication ePrescription and /or Medication eDispensation
• Builds on existing National eHealth Projects
Electronic Health Records and
Privacy Issues II
• Political priority in many MS
• E.g. in Denmark, Sweden and Latvia online access to
medical records is a reality
• EU support to deployment:
Patient access to data: two projects have been
negotiated: Palante and Sustains
• …the issue of authentication of users is important
• eSignature Directive can help (under revision)
Secondary use of data for research
• Relevant INFSO funded projects:
• TRANSFoRm
http://137.73.82.45/Home.html
• PONTE
http://www.ponte-project.eu/
• Art. 14 on eHealth voluntary network
• Review of data protection Directive to harmonise
this issue
Health and data protection
• Art. 29 Working Paper on EHR (guidelines)
• Currently health data under Art. 8 of Directive 1995/46/EC
on data protection:
•
Principle: a ban on processing but exceptions (Art. 8.2 & 8.3)
• Proposal for a Regulation on data protection adopted by EC
January 2012:
• Same principle as 1995/46/EC (ban with exception) but
includes more detailed provisions on when health data
could be processed
• Possibilities to process health data for research purposes
with multiple safeguards
Coming Up:
• SWP on legal aspects related to telemedicine
• Provide clarity on « grey areas »
• eHealth Action Plan
• Taking on board feedback from consultation
• Taking into consideration developments in related to
eHealth
• Areas to examine include:
•
•
•
•
Evidence and awareness
Interoperability/standardisation/market
Regulatory/Organisational issues
Innovation in eHealth
Coming Up:
Benchmarking studies (Spring 2013):
• European Hospital Survey – eHealth deployment
composite indicator: follow up to the 2010 study. will
facilitate monitoring levels and impact of eHealth
deployment in Europe.
• Study on the deployment of eHealth applications
among General Practitioners (GPs). Follow up to
2009 study.
Coming Up
• eHealth Week 2012
• 7-9 May, Copenhagen
• « Smart Health, Better Lives »
• Ministerial Conference + WoHIT Conference and exhibition
LINKS
EIP
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovationunion/index_en.cfm?section=active-healthyageing&pg=implementation-plan
Digital Agenda for Europe
http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda
ICT for Health
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/ehealth
Follow eHealth activities
• eHealth Week 2012:
• ICT for Health:
• www.ehealthweek.org
• twitter.com/EU_eHealthweek
• youtube.com/user/eHealthweek
• twitter.com/ehealthinfso
• facebook.com/ehealthinfso
• youtube.com/user/ehealthinfso