Below, Miklos Barta posted that interesting comment on telemedicine in the US vs. Europe and that this cross border issue is still hampered by national regulations.
1) I definitely prefer and appreciate the medical care systems as practiced in Europe’s most advanced countries, such as Germany, Austria, Sweden, or the Czech Republic (I am mentioning CR as I was positively surprised on what a high level health care is being practiced here). In these countries (but also in most other EU countries as well as Switzerland), health care is heavily regulated and largely controlled by public bodies, therefore mostly bureaucratic and tedious, but it works! (I am not going to discuss here prevention vs. treatment etc., which would be a crucial point in such a debate)
2) Telemedicine is definitely an upcoming technology and will improve homecare, geriatric treatment etc., and in my home country Austria there is a growing number of very innovative solutions both on the development as well as the application side. If you want to know more, contact me.
3) In this respect, European mobility is still in its infancy, both on the patients’ and the health systems’ sides. Not even Austria’s federal provinces have fully compatible clearing systems for patients who travel to a different province for treatment, even more so it is difficult to get a treatment abroad refunded. Europe wide coverage, as is supposed to be granted by Austria’s eCard, is far from being accepted all over Europe.
4) People travel and, increasingly, people work abroad. Excellence and efficiency in health care services are spread all over the continent. But neither patients nor hospitals have the opportunity to choose their preferred treatment or service partner or specialist (Yes, there are cross border agreements, but on a very restricted level).
5) A prime prerequisite would be the harmonisation of European health care services, including networks for clinics, free choice of services, and appropriate coverage systems. If I draw a conclusion from observing the permanent domestic discussions in Austria, Germany or the Czech Republic, we are far from that. And therefore also far from continental (or EU wide) best practice, a Union wide health care system, or telemedical applications (as one of many potential new developments) that reach beyond city limits.
6) To come back to Miklos Barta: Yes, we should shift from national to European standards, open borders, European compatibility. No, we should not deregulate such as in the US, allow outsourcing to the Far East or elsewhere, simply because the standards there do not suffice. I don’t want to have my X-ray picture processed in India. (I’d rather support India in enabling X-ray to all those who need it there…)
