The directive will be implemented from 2013 which will enable European citizens to receive treatment in another member country, with the costs being directed back to the individuals home country
Liz Lynne, a Liberal Democrat MEP has championed the decision as “a milestone for cross-border health care in Europe”. It has however come under fire from health campaigners who believe it could lead NHS trusts chasing higher paying ‘health tourists’.
Patients will however require approval from both their GP and a health authority in their home country before receiving treatment, which will have to be paid for up front, with expenses being claimed back at a later date
Concerns arise from the fact that the system is being imposed at a time of great structural upset in the NHS, and that hospitals that are already working to capacity will struggle to handle any additional patient load and revert back to the days of lengthy waiting times.
A clause has been included in the directive to combat these concerns which obliges health services to prioritise their own citizens if necessary.
Original Source The Telegraph
About Pathway Software
Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.
Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.
demographic shift that will reshape societies, economies, and markets over the next century. The big news is that the world population, according to United Nations forecasts, will either stabilize or peak around 2050, after growing for centuries at an ever-accelerating rate. The main reason is the decline occurring in birthrates as nations advance economically, and it is already having a significant impact: As birthrates drop and better health care prolongs life spans, the world’s population is aging rapidly. For example, between 1950 and 2000, the percentage of the world population older than 60 rose almost imperceptibly to 10 percent from 8 percent. By 2050, however, that percentage will more than double, to 21 percent. And in many countries — notably Japan and those in western Europe — the share of population age 60-plus will be more than 40 percent by mid-century.
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