Study on the main obstacles detected in the provision of cross-border health services

The European Commission has published a study focusing on the main obstacles faced by health providers and professionals who want to settle in another member country of the European Union or offer cross-border services in a member state other than their own. The study encompasses primary care physicians, physiotherapists, medical laboratories and hospitals under the term of healthcare providers.

The study concludes that the requirements that only apply to cross-border providers relate mainly to requirements related to individual medical professionals such as:

• Recognition of qualifications (family doctors, physiotherapists and professionals who work in a medical laboratory).
• Language requirements (family doctors, physiotherapists and professionals who work in a medical laboratory).
• Additional requirements after registration with regulatory bodies (e.g. additional support documents and certified translations).

The requirements related to the workplace and the coverage of public funding are usually applied equally to all providers. For example, legislation on the creation of subsidiary hospitals barely distinguishes between national and cross-border providers.

Cross-border healthcare providers may face obstacles, partly due to the additional increase in the requirements, when they want to offer cross-border services. The three main obstacles identified are:

• Language requirements.
• High costs associated with providing the necessary supporting documents – and in particular the certified translations of these documents, in the processes related to the recognition of qualifications and/or registration with a regulatory body.
• Ignorance of the specific aspects of the health system in a member state. Cross-border providers may experience more practical obstacles in finding the relevant information and navigating the system compared to national providers. This obstacle is even greater in member states with a decentralised health system.

For more information, check the complete article.