European Commission Enhances Cross-Border Healthcare with New Digital Services
Brussels, Thursday, 6 February 2025.
The European Commission’s eHDSI initiative aims to improve healthcare continuity for EU citizens, featuring ePrescription and Patient Summaries, enhancing cross-border health data exchange and service accessibility.
Key Features of the Digital Health Infrastructure
The eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure (eHDSI) launched on February 5, 2025, introduces two critical services: ePrescription and Patient Summaries [1]. The ePrescription system enables EU citizens to obtain medication from pharmacies across member states through secure online prescription transfers [5]. Patient Summaries provide essential health information, including allergies and current medications, to doctors in the patient’s native language [5], ensuring seamless medical care across borders.
Market Growth and Economic Impact
The initiative comes at a time of significant growth in the global eHealth sector. The market, valued at USD 346.94 billion in 2023, is projected to reach USD 1567.73 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 18.26% [3]. This expansion is largely driven by increasing adoption of digital health solutions and telemedicine, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic [3]. The European Commission’s initiative aligns with this growth trajectory, supported by the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027) [1].
Implementation and Governance
The implementation is overseen by the eHealth DSI EU countries Expert Group (eHMSEG) [1], with services branded as ‘MyHealth @ EU’ for citizen recognition [1]. The infrastructure’s long-term vision includes expanding services to encompass medical images, laboratory results, and complete health records across the EU [1]. This development is guided by the eHealth Network, established under Directive 2011/24/EU [5], ensuring standardized implementation across member states.
Future Developments and Integration
Looking ahead, the initiative plans to connect services through ‘generic services’ established at national levels [1]. This integration comes as healthcare systems across Europe are increasingly focusing on digital transformation, with many countries aligning their national health strategies with EU-wide initiatives [3]. The success of this digital health infrastructure will be crucial in addressing the growing demands on healthcare systems, particularly as cross-border healthcare needs continue to evolve [5].