Brussels, 20/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 20 December, the European Commission adopted measures for executing the 2011/24/EC directive on cross-border health care, in an effort to harmonise the information contained in medical prescriptions issued in one member state and used in another. This aims to: increase the number of cross-border prescriptions accepted by 200,000 a year. In a press release, the European Commission indicates that with the current diversity of the 2.3 million prescriptions issued every year, it is estimated that over half of patients would have problems with their prescription being recognised in another EU country.
The new provisions will be applicable from the end of October 2013 and include minimum descriptive elements that will help identify prescribers, patience and the products prescribed. Nonetheless, they do not focus on the appearance, format or language of the prescription. Health professionals can add information, if they comply with local practices. These common elements are limited to cross-border prescriptions requested by the patient, not prescriptions used within a country (unless a member state so chooses). National contact points, established under the Cross-border healthcare Directive will inform patients on their rights.
For specific groups of patients, improving the recognition of cross-border prescriptions makes an important difference. For example, for patients with chronic diseases wishing to travel to another country, for patients living in border regions or smaller member states for whom filling out a cross-border prescription is a necessity and for patients with a rare disease where the best expertise can be found across a border. (MB/transl.fl)