The Expert Group for Integrated Care and Digital Health Europe (EGIDE) – a group of experts supported by Sanofi, whose objective is to enhance chronic disease management through integrated patient pathways and digitalisation of health – presented its Policy Paper on ‘Putting people at the centre – Integrated care for chronic diseases in Europe’.
The event was a webinar hosted by Pascal Arimont, MEP, on 10 November.
The Policy Paper highlights a number of interventions aimed at bringing the concept of integrated care solutions for patients living with chronic diseases in Europe closer to reality.
During the webinar, EGIDE members discussed ways to enable European healthcare systems to embrace integrated care models with EU policymakers representing the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Speakers agreed that due to COVID-19 the shift towards integrated care solutions has become even more urgent, as the effective remote monitoring of patients as well as the implementation of targeted interventions are crucial to manage chronic conditions during this health crisis.
EGIDE (and PDGN) Co-Chair, John Bowis OBE, said that the EGIDE group looked forward to continuing the conversation on integrated care with EU policymakers and stakeholders.
He said there are several funding and legislative opportunities at EU level that could play a significant role to support the transformation of healthcare systems in Europe.
Mr Bowis acknowledged that real change needs to happen at local level and this is why as EGIDE group will focus on the national level too, in order to bridge the EU and the local levels and scale up integrated care in Europe.
Advocacy Action: Does your health minister have a copy of the EGIDE policy paper? If you live in an EU Member State is your MEP a member of PDGN and the Diabetes Working Group?