More than 270 attended this one-day European Policy Summit co-organised by Friends of Europe and Novartis, together with media partner Europe’s World. Against the backdrop of the global financial meltdown, speakers agreed that now more than ever, it is critical not to cut healthcare budgets nor reduce R&D spending. European Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou implored national parliamentarians and health ministers not to choose healthcare budget cuts as a way to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis.

Elizabeth Teisberg, Associate Professor at the Virginia University and Co-Author with Michael Porter of the book, Redefining Healthcare, argued that “The real question is how do we create healthcare systems that drive improvements in value and increase value for patients? Europe is ahead in terms of universal coverage, which is essential for equity and efficiency. But it is not enough. We must improve value by creating better health outcomes in relation to money spent.”

Participants acknowledged that healthcare spending is skyrocketing – a serious issue considering Europe’s aging populations – but generally agreed that living in good health is less costly than living in poor health. As a result, spending money and deploying resources on primary care and prevention is critical, as is reorganising healthcare delivery. The way forward could be to refocus on improving healthcare systems by creating better health outcomes in relation to money spent.

Despite the fact that Health Consumer Powerhouse named the Netherlands as having the best healthcare system in Europe, participants were not convinced that national schemes could be heralded as EU best practice. Some elements of national schemes can be singled out, but because healthcare systems are so heterogeneous across Europe, there is no one-size-fits all. The European Commission does not intend to harmonise national systems, but some officials and politicians insist that EU level measures could help create economies of scale. Speakers generally agreed that EU level measures could perhaps help in the areas of protecting patients’ rights, transparency and information exchange. However, participants were reminded that doctors are still struggling with finding common definitions to describe the work of general practitioners, not to mention specialists.

Participants were as to the feasibility of an EU-wide, internal market for healthcare. Free and fair competition is widely viewed in the EU as the best way to boost innovation and improve efficiency, but in the healthcare sector, patients generally have little choice.

Speakers and participants debated a new European Commission Directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross border healthcare. This draft Directive seeks to clarify and codify existing European Court of Justice case law on when patients can exercise their freedom to obtain health services to which they are entitled to in their home Member State in another EU Member State. The draft Directive also proposes that the Commission should issue guidelines to Member States in some areas of healthcare, particularly regarding patients’ rights, safety and the sharing of information. The issue of guidelines or standards provoke some scepticism and criticism from participants and raised the issue of subsidiarity.

However, all speakers agreed on the need to share information across borders and on the potential for e-health to deliver better healthcare services to all Europeans. They also agreed on the need to collaborate cross border on diagnosis and treatment for rare diseases.