EU Expert health panel:

The Commission’s Health Directorate (DG SANCO) has requested the recently established Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in health for two scientific opinions: 

1      Definition of a frame of reference in relation to primary care with a special emphasis on financing systems and referral systems 

DG SANCO seeks to investigate how European healthcare systems could benefit from a better integration between different levels of healthcare, both in terms of increased cost-effectiveness, and in terms of improved quality of care. 

This investigation will consist of three lines of research: 

• Development of a common understanding on the concept of primary healthcare in the EU, and identification of the differences between community-based care and primary care
• Investigation of how to identify and analysis of existing typologies of financing mechanisms

in primary healthcare: to individual providers

• Reflection on the role of effective referral systems in ensuring the integration between all levels of the health system and in helping ensure that people receive the best possible care closest to home. 

Ideally, the opinion of the Panel should be finalised by the end of 2013 for points 1 and 2

above and the first quarter of 2014 for point 3. 

2     Assessment of a study 'Evaluation of public-private partnerships in health care delivery across EU'.

In 2011, DG SANCO commissioned a study to carry out an evaluation of public-private partnerships (PPP) in health care delivery across the EU. The goal of the study was to analyse the trends of PPP in the health systems in at least six Member States, and to carry out relevant and detailed case studies. Last May, the draft final report was delivered The results of the study could feed into the process of EU policy making, through the works of the European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing, as well as within the reflection process on modern, responsive and sustainable health systems.

Therefore, DG SANCO has requested the Expert Panel to provide its views on the study, more specifically in relation to: 

• whether the choice of Member States and case studies are representative of the EU situation of PPP in healthcare delivery;
• whether the methodology is appropriate or whether there remain important aspects of the analysis which are not properly covered;
• whether the conclusions and the recommendations are sound, evidence based, consistent and comprehensive.

For more information:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/dyna/whatsnew/whatsnew_en.cfm