Division 2.1.8 Co-operation between Member States (Article 3.2.d., Annex — point 1.5.)

Work will be carried out to follow up the high-level process of reflection on patient mobility and health care developments in the European Union and supporting the work of the High Level Group on health services and medical care. This work will involve, in particular: developing frameworks for cross-border healthcare purchasing and provision; pilot projects for European networks of centres of reference; issues relating to the mobility of health professionals; developing and piloting methodologies for health systems impact assessment; sharing best practice and expertise relating to patient safety; and supporting work on other issues of potential European cooperation, such as palliative care or proper use of pharmaceuticals. Actions may also be undertaken on ensuring the provision of supporting data and knowledge on mobility of patients and professionals as well as healthcare and long-term care systems in general. The following priorities will be addressed:

• Strengthening information and knowledge on the quality of health systems with a special focus on patient safety, i.e. establish appropriate mechanisms for enhancing patient safety in the EU, including strengthening networking and sharing good practices in this field;

• Analysing the financial impact of patient mobility on sending and receiving countries and the impact on financial sustainability of the health care systems involved. Supporting surveys on patient mobility focusing on the motivation for patients to move across borders and exploring the need for institutions to purchase treatment abroad for their patients^f1,

• Collecting and providing information on cross-border care, in particular on quality, safety, sensitivity and continuity of care, patients' rights, responsibilities and liability issues;

• Mapping, analysing and supporting pilot projects on centres of reference based on the guidelines, criteria and areas to be covered being established by the High Level Group’s Working Group on Centres of Reference;

• Supporting the EU Health Technology Assessment network;

• Exchange of information on therapeutic added value of new medicines and development of a model including a European database for an efficient prioritisation of medicines and medical technology^f2. Enhancing information on orphan drugs (prescription, effectiveness, efficiency and price) and their relationship to rare diseases^f3.

• Assessing links between economics and health; investing in health and impact of better health on economic growth;

• Collecting and providing information on an information system for primary care activity and resources to strengthen comparability of data and create a basis for routine data collection;

• Collecting and providing information on home and residential care activity and resources information to strengthen comparability and develop time-series data;

• Collecting and providing information on best practice on palliative care.