CROSS-BORDER EHEALTH SERVICES "MYHEALTH@EU"

• EU citizens value their healthcare. Many of us also travel, work or study in other EU countries. It is reassuring to know that in the event that you fall ill or experience a health emergency during your stay in another EU country, electronic cross-border health services – ePrescriptions and Patient Summaries – will be available in European countries to protect and assist travellers, under the brand “MyHealth@EU”. These services enable citizens in Europe to benefit from healthcare in their country of travel in the same way that they benefit in their country of residence – via a new digital communication channel. This secure channel enables eHealth national services to connect and exchange patients’ health data rapidly, safely and efficiently. Your personal data will always be treated and protected in accordance with existing EU legislation and with current practices in both your country of residence and your country of travel. In addition, before a health professional accesses any of your data, he or she should inform you about your rights. The new electronic cross-border health services are being established progressively in 25 EU countries until the end of 2025. For the latest updates on the countries which are currently offering these services, please take a look at our Europa webpage.
• Ireland is committed to Go Live with all of the services listed below for both Patients, Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists, but has yet to do so, the aim is prior to 2025.  Alot of progress is being made to achieve this wit our fellow Member States.
• This space provides information on what ePrescriptions and Patient Summaries services are – and on how we are going to use, and benefit from them.

What will this mean for an Irish patient on holiday or temporary stay in an another EU country?

• You are travelling to another European country for a conference, and then intending to enjoy a few days of sightseeing. Since you were ill on a previous trip, you check, before travelling, how to make your health data available in case you may need to consult a health professional when abroad. When away, you feel unwell. You find a health clinic offering “My Health @ EU” services. You present yourself to the doctor and show the relevant identification document. The doctor should explain how your health data is processed cross-border, and may also ask for your consent to access your health information through your Patient Summary.
• The doctor receives your Patient Summary, in their own language, through a secure digital channel. It provides essential health data relating to, for example, any allergies you may have, recent medication, previous illnesses and your surgical history. It helps the doctor ensure safer and better healthcare when you are in a country of travel. In case your Patient Summary is not available, you should consult your national responsible authority to understand how you may be able to benefit from these cross-border services. For questions related to reimbursement issues, please consult the Europa website.

What does this mean for a health professional working in the country of travel?

• You are a doctor (or another health professional) in a hospital who has been trained and authorised to access “My Health @ EU” services by your national responsible authority. You are visited by a patient from another European country who is experiencing, for example, back pain during a work trip. You must first explain to the patient how their health data is being processed cross-border, and then ask them for an identification document. Depending upon how your own country treats the protection of health data, you may need to ask for the patient’s consent for accessing their data. You can then request their Patient Summary document from the country of origin of the patient through the secure digital channel. The Patient Summary will provide you with essential health data in your country’s official language(s).
• This data may relate to, for example, allergies, recent medication, previous illnesses, and surgical history, among others. It can assist you in providing safer and better healthcare. If the Patient Summary is not available, you may conduct your consultation without it. The Patient Summary is part of a larger collection of health data called an Electronic Health Record which will gradually become available in the cross-border health services. For questions related to reimbursement issues, please consult the Europa website.

What will this mean for an Irish patient on holiday or temporary stay in an another EU country?

• You are going on a summer holiday to another EU country. While abroad, you suffer an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, you did not manage to pick up your allergy medicine before you left. You find a pharmacy in your country of travel that provides “My Health @ EU” services. You present yourself to the pharmacist who explains how your health data is being processed cross-border. Depending upon how your country of travel treats the protection of health data, you may need to sign a consent form to allow the pharmacist to access your data. The pharmacist will ask for an identification document, check your identity in a secure IT system, and then receive an ePrescription via the same system.
• It may happen that the medicine dispensed is a different brand than the one you receive in your country of residence or that the number of units in the package is different to the medicine you are used to; the pharmacist will explain if that is the case. The leaflet will be in the language of the country of travel, so the pharmacist will explain how the medicine should be taken. Information about the dispensed medicine will be made available to your home country through the IT system. This helps ensure safer and better healthcare. For questions related to reimbursement issues, please consult the Europa website.

What does this mean for a pharmacist working in the country of travel?

• You are a pharmacist trained and authorised to offer electronic crossborder services by your national authority responsible for eHealth. You work in a pharmacy that can provide “My Health @ EU” services. A patient from another European country visits you and asks to buy medication prescribed by a doctor in their country of residence. You must first explain to the patient how their health data is being processed cross-border, and then ask them for an identification document. Depending upon how your own country treats the protection of health data, you may need to ask for the patient’s consent to access their data. You can then enter their details in the secure IT system to confirm their identity.
• At this point, you can request the ePrescription via the IT system. It will be in the patient’s, and in your own, language(s). It may be that you have to dispense medicine that is branded differently from the one the patient usually receives in their country of residence. Once you have explained how the medicine is to be taken and have dispensed it, you must make the information available to the country of the patient to prevent several dispensations of the same prescription. For questions related to reimbursement issues, please consult the Europa website.

EU Website with information on Cross Border Healthservices

Cross-border healthcare directive

Cross-Border-Health-Services-Q&A

EU4Health 2021-2027 – a Vision for a healthier European Union

https://ec.europa.eu/health/funding/eu4health-2021-2027-vision-healthier-european-union_en