SESSION I: COULD E-HEALTH DELIVER A STRONG ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY?

The overall economic benefits of e-health are being widely anticipated and already the use of e-health technologies to access patient information is starting to have a major impact on healthcare. But e-health’s early successes are underpinned by unresolved problems. How can the proliferation of different models and systems be rationalised? What are the framework conditions for innovation in e-health? Could decisions on EU-wide rules and standards pave the way for a global information system? How should data protection be reconciled with patients’ needs, and what systems can best ensure that vital medical information can be exchanged across linguistic and cultural frontiers? What scale of investment will be needed to create efficient e-health networks, and what sort of educational and skills training initiatives are going to be needed in both the medical and ICT sectors? What role might be envisaged for the EU to transform e-health interoperability from slogan to reality?

• Peter Hustinx, European Data Protection Supervisor
• Neil Jordan, Managing Director WW Health at Microsoft Corporation
• Zoran Stančič, European Commission Deputy Director General for Information Society & Media
• Michael Wilks, President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) 

Moderated by Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe, and Sue Saville, Medical Correspondent for ITV News

 The gap in average healthcare standards and even life expectancy between older and newer EU member states remains wide. It is, however, an encouraging sign that this issue is rising higher on the policy agenda. When the EU's directive on removing obstacles to cross-border healthcare is finally implemented, will that help narrow not only the EU’s East-West gap, but that between richer and poorer regions? How will this patient mobility affect the various pricing and reimbursement systems that currently exist across Europe? What optimum role could local health care authorities play, and to what extent should they be able to cooperate with one another? Are ‘healthcare standards’ the right goal or should Europe focus on transparency of ‘medical outcomes’? How politically sensitive are EU-level efforts to reduce healthcare inequalities across Europe, and what might be the price if expectations are disappointed?

• Nick Fahy, Head of Unit for Health Information at the European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumers
• Pascal Garel, Chief Executive of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE)
• Martín Guillermo Ramírez, Secretary General, Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
• Nata Menabde, Deputy Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Jaroslaw Pietras, Director General for Environmental and Consumer Protection, Health and Food, Council of the European Union
• Magdalene Rosenmöller, Associate Professor at IESE Business School and Co-Editor of Patient Mobility in the European Union: Learning from Experience

 14.00-15.30

DOES EUROPE’S REGULATORY FRAMEWORK CREATE THE RIGHT INCENTIVES FOR INNOVATION IN HEALTH?

After several years of declining investment in pharmaceutical research in Europe spurred on by the recent economic crisis, what can policymakers do to help sharpen Europe’s innovative edge? How innovative is the European pharmaceuticals industry, and the healthcare sector as a whole? Has the number of new medicinal products coming out of pharmaceutical laboratories decreased? And, if yes, why? What barriers exist to bringing new medicines or services to market? What pricing, regulatory policies and incentives need to be introduced in Europe to boost innovation in healthcare while respecting the budget and safety concerns of the Member States? How can Europe effectively cooperate with international partners to promote innovative healthcare models?

• Elizabeth Docteur, Independent Health Policy Consultant & Former Deputy Head of the Health Division at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• Wim Oosterom, Price Waterhouse Coopers EMEA Health Leader & Member of the PWC Health Research Institute Advisory Team
• Antonyia Parvanova MEP, Member of the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
• Dhavalkumar D. Patel, Global Head of Autoimmunity, Transplantation and Inflammation at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
• Christoph Thalheim, Secretary General of the European Multiple Sclerosis Platform (EMSP)

Moderated by Sue Saville, Medical Correspondent for ITV News