How is applied the Directive for cross-border healthcare

European Commission published an evaluative study, carried out in 12 EU countries regarding the implementation of the Directive for cross-border healthcare.

The main stakeholders involved were the National Contact Points, healthcare provider organisations, individual health insurance providers, patient groups, trade unions, ombudspersons and healthcare inspectorate /audit bodies.

The main findings of the study are systemized in three major issues: Reimbursement, Quality and Safety, and Undue Delay:

• There is a small number of reimbursement requests due to lack of awareness for the possibilities and the small number of information requests received by National Contact Points.
• Patients don’t seek information about quality and security of treatment in advance and often request necessary information subsequent to their choice of healthcare unit.
• Websites of governments or health insurance providers often disclose information on the average waiting times for different treatments.

The major outcome of the study is that the Directive is at an early stage of implementation. A larger awareness campaign is needed about the opportunities it offers to the patients.

You can read the full Executive summary here.