Cross Border Healthcare: Advancing E-Health in Europe

Abstract

E-Health refers to tools and services using information and communication technologies that can improve the management and monitoring of a health system and improve prevention diagnosis and treatment for patients. Health services across Europe are becoming increasingly unsustainable. The E-Health approach can benefit the entire community by improving access to care and quality of care by making the health sector more efficient. E-Health solutions are generally welcomed by all users because of their ability to develop greater health awareness amongst the people who use them and to provide them with a tool by which they can be in greater control of their own health. In this study the EU Directive and the project of the European Union on establishing an EU-wide E-Health network were analyzed the main benefits highlighted and the limitations evaluated. Currently the European Commission is conducting an impact assessment in order to evaluate various policy options under consideration to evaluate the proportionality of the compliance costs as well as the likely benefits from the measures communicated in the Directive that should be adopted in 2013.