European medical technology industry trade group Eucomed has published a position paper on eHealth issues as the European Ministerial eHealth Conference gets underway in Budapest.

The association contends that seven high-level criteria must be met in terms of eHealth policies, programs and laws in order to improve uptake of such technologies across the EU.

First, eHealth policies should prioritize the needs of patient, providers and health care systems.

Second, frameworks developed for interoperability should support standardization and harmonization of national and local eHealth systems.

Third, value-based funding and reimbursement schemes should be implemented for eHealth technologies and services.

Fourth, legal certainty of eHealth products and services must be ensured across the EU.

Fifth, a centralized eHealth advocacy program should be established to keep focus on the value proposition eHealth products and services offer to EU health care systems.

Sixth, uptake of eHealth technologies should be done in a way that ensures effectiveness and efficiency.

Seventh, funding allocations to health care systems should give more priority to eHeath technologies and projects.

Eucomed’s paper further reiterated industry arguments that eHealth stands to improve quality of health care in Europe, provide greater efficiencies in health care delivery and data management, and more effectively promote best practices and knowledge sharing across EU member states.