IP/10/1744
Brussels,
17 December 2010
Digital
Agenda: Commission signs eHealth agreement with US Department of
Health, Vice-President
of the European Commission Neelie Kroes and United States Secretary of
Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius have today signed a
Memorandum of Understanding in Washington to promote a common approach
on the interoperability of electronic health records and on education
programmes for information technology and health professionals. Common
standards and interoperability stand to create huge growth
opportunities for the eHealth industry as well as having a positive
impact on the safety and quality of care. A skilled health IT workforce
is necessary to make the benefits of eHealth services available to
patients. This agreement aims to boost the potential of the eHealth
market for EU companies wishing to do business in the US and vice
versa. Promoting the use of eHealth technologies, with a view to
improving the quality of health care, reducing medical costs and
fostering independent living, including in remote places, is key
objective of the Digital Agenda for Europe (see IP/10/581,
MEMO/10/199
and MEMO/10/200).
Neelie
Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission for the Digital
Agenda, said: "Nothing makes more of a difference to people's lives
than good health. I warmly welcome today's agreement. It is an
excellent basis for the Commission and the US authorities to expand our
cooperation on promoting the overall benefits of eHealth for patients,
health systems and companies."
During her
visit to the Transatlantic Economic Council in Washington today (see IP/10/1712),
Neelie Kroes and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen
Sibelius signed the eHealth Memorandum of Understanding to promote
cooperation on eHealth between the European Commission and the US
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The
aim of the Memorandum of Understanding is to create new markets and
growth opportunities for industry in the eHealth sector in both the EU
and the US. The ICT sector drives 50% of productivity growth in the EU
and eHealth has a great potential for market growth. It can stimulate
innovation in healthcare systems and traditionally strong healthcare
industries such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
The
take up in the US of electronic health records outside hospitals is
four times lower than in Europe. In the coming years, the US will
invest around $20 billion in deploying interoperable health records to
physicians. This could have a positive impact on procurement for
European companies in the US as well as boosting the Single Market for
eHealth in the EU. This will give patients better health and quality of
life and improve the existing infrastructure of health care systems.
The
Memorandum stresses the need for a joint vision on internationally
recognised and utilised interoperability standards for electronic
health record systems and increased competences and mobility of IT
professionals. Such common standards are important to achieve
widespread interoperable eHealth services so that eHealth can reach its
full global market potential.
Potential
activities foreseen within the framework of the Memorandum include the
following:
-
exchanges
of information on ongoing activities that are carried out directly by
the Commission and HHS, and that are relevant to the promotion of
eHealth
-
exchanges
of
delegations and specialists, selected with the endorsement of the
Commission and HHS, for example in the framework of the Commission’s
eHealth Governance Initiative
-
establishment
of joint working groups to identify specific strategies for achieving
shared goals, and
-
collaboratively
organised meetings, scientific conferences, workshops and/or symposia.
The
partnership between the EU and the US, the two world leaders in
eHealth, sends a strong signal to all stakeholders that common
standards and interoperability bring opportunities for a global
approach for the benefit of patients, health systems and the market.
Background
The
Transatlantic Economic Council is a political body that oversees and
accelerates government-to-government cooperation to advance economic
integration between the EU and the US. Main issues at this year's
conference include the signing of the Memorandum on eHealth, discussing
possibilities to stimulate more cooperation on research and identifying
how synergies could be created between the Digital Agenda for Europe
and US policies in this field.
For
more information: