Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

The Turnbull government has pledged AUD 20 million to expand the role of community pharmacies to help Australians manage their chronic pain. The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has partnered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to run the Pain MedsCheck trial, where pharmacists will provide in-person consultations to patients to evaluate medications, help create pain management action plans, engage patients in self-management, and provide referrals to further experts where needed. The trial is part of the government’s larger approach to curb the increasing rates of opioid dependence. Starting February 1, 2018, codeine, an opioid analgesic commonly used in over-the-counter pain medications, will change to a prescription-only medicine. It is estimated that one in five Australians currently suffers from chronic pain.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2018-hunt010.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2018&mth=01

https://www.tga.gov.au/codeine-info-hub 

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

The Turnbull government has partnered with medical professionals to create a Ministerial Advisory Committee on Out-of-Pocket Cost to examine excessive patient fees charged by some medical specialists. The committee, chaired by the commonwealth chief medical officer, will investigate pricing structures behind high patient fees and examine strategies for better price comparison options for consumers and general practitioners at the referral stage. In Australia, outpatient specialists set patients’ out-of-pocket fees independently, and some patients have faced great financial hardship as a result of large specialist bills.

Source

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2018-hunt002.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2018&mth=01

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

In 2018, Australians can expect to see the lowest private insurance premium increases in nearly two decades. The average weighted premium increase will be less than 4 percent, the lowest since 2001. An average single person will pay around AUD $1.40 extra a week, and the average family around AUD $2.75. In a press release, Health Minister Greg Hunt attributed this to the significant private health insurance reforms that were enacted by the Turnbull government late last year. These included lower negotiated prices for implanted medical devices and an annual AUD $6 billion investment into insurance rebates. Approximately 13 million Australians, or more than half of the country’s population, currently have private health insurance in addition to statutory coverage through Medicare, to help pay for private hospital and dental care, optometry, and increased choice and faster access to elective services.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2018-hunt009.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2018&mth=0

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

Canada’s first universal prescription medication coverage program for youth and children aged 24 years and younger, OHIP+, was launched in the Ontario province on January 1, 2018. During its first 11 days, more than 220,000 young people filled more than 350,000 prescriptions. The OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare program is the biggest expansion of Medicare in a generation, and Ontario is the first province to provide prescription drug coverage at no cost to more than 4 million children and youth, including an estimated 1.2 million who lacked access to affordable medications before the expansion. Enrollment is automatic, and there is no annual deductible or copayment. OHIP+ currently pays for more than 4,400 medications listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary. Participants must present an Ontario health card and a valid prescription.

Source

https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2018/01/over-220000-young-people-in-ontario-already-benefitting-from-ohip.htm

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez​​​​​​​

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association have reached an agreement that will significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs in Canada. Starting in April 2018, the prices for 70 of the most commonly prescribed generic drugs will be discounted by 25 percent to 40 percent, representing a discount of up to 90 percent relative to the price of the equivalent brand-name (patented) drugs. With generics representing the majority of all prescriptions filled under public drug plans, the agreement is expected to generate up to CAD $3 billion in savings over five years. The agreement will reduce drug prices for all Canadians who use prescription generic drugs, participating public drug plans, and employee drug plans.

http://www.pdci.ca/reminder-new-prices-for-generics-under-pcpacgpa-agreement-become-effective-april-1st-2018/

https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2018/01/statement-by-minister-of-health-and-long-term-care.html

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

In response to the latest data showing a substantial increase in opioid-related deaths and overdoses, the Ontario government is moving quickly to expand addiction and harm-reduction services. Opioid-related deaths have risen 52 percent, from 694 in 2016 to 1,053 in 2017, while emergency department visits for overdoses increased 72 percent, from 4,453 to 7,658. More than 85 mental health and addiction providers are expanding their services, including targeted supports for youth, withdrawal management services, and additional frontline health and social service workers. The move comes on the heels of several other initiatives that have been announced as part of Ontario’s three-year, CAD 222 million investment to combat the opioid crisis.

Source

https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2018/03/ontario-moving-quickly-to-expand-life-saving-overdose-prevention-programs.html

Country Correspondent: Molly FitzGerald

The 14-member Independent Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in health has released three expert opinions in response to the European Commission’s mandates. The opinion on benchmarking access to health care in the European Union lays out guiding principles for benchmarking progress in reducing unmet needs for health care. The opinion on tools and methodologies for assessing the performance of primary care proposes a model across 10 dimensions for monitoring performance and recommends criteria for selecting indicators relevant to each country. Lastly, he opinion on innovative payment models for high-cost innovative medicines establishes broad principles for developing new ways of pricing specialty medicines that reward innovation while ensuring access.

Source

http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/sante/newsletter-specific-archive-issue.cfm?newsletter_service_id=327&newsletter_issue_id=7191&page=1&fullDate=Sun%2002%20Sep%202018&lang=default

https://ec.europa.eu/health/expert_panel/sites/expertpanel/files/docsdir/opinion_benchmarking_healthcareaccess_en.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/health/expert_panel/sites/expertpanel/files/docsdir/opinion_innovative_medicines_en.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/health/expert_panel/sites/expertpanel/files/docsdir/opinion_primarycare_performance_en.pdf

Country Correspondent: Paul Dourgnon

Since 2017, nine locations in France have been testing the blueprint for France’s national electronic patient medical record—the Dossier Médical Partagé (DMP). Although most providers in France already use some form of electronic medical records, a 2016 law instructed the National Health Insurance Fund to implement a national, fully interoperable electronic medical records that lets providers across different sectors of the health care system share information. The new DMP is expected to improve care coordination for patients, who will be able to choose whether to share their records with their providers. Nationwide implementation is expected to start in September 2018—11 years after what was initially planned—and continue over several years.

Source

https://www.lesechos.fr/economie-france/social/0301297278476-le-dossier-medical-partage-va-enfin-prendre-son-envol-2153701.php (In French)

http://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/systeme-de-sante-et-medico-social/e-sante/article/dossier-medical-partage-dmp (In French)

Country Correspondent: Paul Dourgnon

The so-called “reste à charge zero” or “zero out-of-pocket cost” campaign for dental and vision care and hearing aids was one of President Emmanuel Macron’s main health policy campaign promises. The French Ministry of Health has now launched a strategy to deliver on this promise. Currently, most of these services remain poorly reimbursed or not at all reimbursed by public statutory health insurance. Instead, coverage is left largely to supplemental insurance plans, which cover 95 percent of the population. Efforts will concentrate first on dental care through negotiations with providers to lower the prices for basic dental services and by negotiating changes to benefits and quality contracts with private insurers to provide better coverage of basic dental services.

Source

http://solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/dp_rac0-2.pdf (In French)

Country Correspondent: Michael Laxy

On February 20, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice ordered Jameda, Germany’s most comprehensive online physician comparison site containing anonymous patient ratings for approximately 275,000 physicians, to delete information on a doctor who complained that her privacy had been violated and that the company’s practices were unfair. The court’s verdict argued that Jameda had failed to maintain necessary neutrality by offering benefits to doctors who paid for advertising on the website. Doctor groups welcomed the verdict, stating that websites that allow paid advertising “undermine the idea of transparency.”

Source

http://www.dw.com/en/german-doctor-wins-right-to-remove-name-from-rating-website/a-42654605

http://www.bundesgerichtshof.de/SharedDocs/Termine/DE/Termine/VIZR30.html (In German)

Country Correspondent: Michael Laxy

A recent study from Hamburg University shows that German patients with public insurance often do not receive needed outpatient care at the end of each annual quarter. Researchers saw a 19 percent increase in emergency department visits in the final weeks of March, June, September, and December, because patients could not get appointments with their regular doctors. The authors attributed this to the way German providers are paid, which relies on prospective budgets that cap the number of outpatient procedures that providers can be reimbursed for each quarter. Once the quarterly budget has been used, doctors are incentivized to limit care because they will not be reimbursed for additional services. In contrast, privately insured patients, for whom quarterly budget restrictions don’t apply, continue to receive services at the same rates regardless of the time of year (approximately one in 10 Germans are privately insured).

Source

http://www.dw.com/en/german-doctors-give-private-patients-special-treatment-says-study/a-42115208

Country Correspondent: Marthe Haverkamp

In February 2018, the Dutch government passed a law that considers all adult citizens organ donors unless they actively opt out by sending in a form. After a fierce debate, the law was accepted with 38 votes in favor and 36 against. Among the most contentious issues was the role of direct relatives in the decision-making process. Under the new law, family members, in joint discussion with the physician team, can overrule the decision made by a deceased relative. This provision does not change the current situation whereby the family and physicians jointly decide on donation based on the patient’s wishes, if these are known. The new donor law goes into effect in July 2020.

Source

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/health/new-dutch-law-organ-donors-bn-intl/index.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/netherlands-opt-out-organ-donation-bill-hospitals-death-body-holland-dutch-a8209676.html

Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez

In an official statement, Associate Health Minister Julie-Anne Gerber congratulated the Counties Manukau District Health Board (DHB) on its success in reducing its carbon footprint and setting an example for the rest of the health care system. Since the DHB started measuring its carbon emissions in 2012, it has reduced emissions by 21 percent through initiatives such as using reusable cups, using different anesthetic gases, providing commuter share-ride programs, and recycling. In parallel, the DHB has realized cost savings of NZD $500,000. The New Zealand health care industry contributes 3 percent to 8 percent of the country’s total greenhouse emissions. Counties Manukau DHB is responsible for planning and delivering health services for more than half a million Kiwis and was the first Pacific region participant in the 2020 Health Care Climate Challenge coalition that also includes Kaiser Permanente (USA) and NHS England’s Sustainable Development Unit.

Source

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/healthcare-sector-committed-reducing-carbon-footprint

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/new-zealand-listener/20171027/281758449540228

Country Correspondent: Marianne Storm

Since February 2018, two ministers lead the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care. Former Health and Care Minister Bent Høie now bears the title of Health Minister. He is joined by newly appointed Åse Michaelsen, who is serving as Elder and Public Health Minister. Minister Michaelsen is responsible for overseeing the provision of municipal home care and social care, as well as public health services and agencies. Paralleling the changes in leadership, the department’s Division for Municipal Services was divided into two divisions for primary care and home and social care.

Source

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/ase-michaelsen-er-ny-eldre--og-folkehelseminister/id2586780/ (In Norwegian)

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/endringer-i-helse-og-omsorgsdepartementet/id2588821/ (In Norwegian)

Country Correspondent: Marianne Storm

In his annual speech to the hospital sector, Health Minister Bent Høie laid out his plans for a national second opinion referral system for patients with serious illnesses. Patients with life-threatening conditions who have exhausted traditional treatment options and may qualify for experimental treatments or clinical trials will be eligible for a consultation by an expert panel that can recommend the latest treatment options in Norway or other countries. The model is based on Denmark’s second opinion referral system, which has successfully operated for 14 years. The system is expected to strengthen clinical trials cooperation between Nordic and European countries and reduce the number of Norwegian patients who travel abroad for highly specialized care.

Source

https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/jPzkbA/Helseminister-Bent-Hoie-har-bestemt-seg-Slik-blir-den-nye-ordningen-for-de-aller-sykeste (In Norwegian)

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/sykehustalen-2018/id2585683/ (In Norwegian)

Country Correspondent: Marianne Storm

Norway is strengthening its emergency preparedness using emergency medical teams (EMTs). EMTs will be able to set up mobile pop-up hospitals in any location within 48 hours. Health Minister Bent Høie received the accreditation certificate from the WHO for the first of three Norwegian teams. The Norwegian EMT is equipped to operate in arctic conditions, can be mobilized anywhere in the world, and will assist in a global public health crisis on request from the United Nations and the European Union.

Source

https://helsedirektoratet.no/nyheter/norge-styrker-beredskapen  (In Norwegian)

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/norge-far-som-forste-land-spesialtrent-innsatsteam-for-helsekriser/id2588405/

http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/preparedness/emergency_medical_teams/en/

Country Correspondent: Roosa Tikkanen

The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) is tasked with ensuring that the government’s 2016 vision to be the world’s best in e-health by 2025 is met. For 2018, the department has received funding for a range of initiatives, including semantic standardization that aims to ensure consistent use of terminology throughout the health care sector and better integration between physical and dental health care sectors. Meanwhile, the eHealth Agency has been allocated additional funds toward ensuring that electronic prescription data is transferable across European Union countries, according to the 2011 European Union Directive on patients’ rights in cross-border health care.

Source

http://www.regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2018/01/sverige-ska-hoja-takten-for-att-bli-bast-i-varlden-pa-e-halsa/ (In Swedish)

http://www.regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2018/01/patientsakerhet-och-malet-att-sverige-ska-bli-bast-i-varlden-pa-e-halsa-till-2025-viktiga-regeringsuppdrag-till-socialstyrelsen-2018/

https://div.socialstyrelsen.se/det-har-ar-e-halsa  (In Swedish)

Country Correspondent: Roosa Tikkanen

The Swedish central government has reached an agreement with county council and municipal representatives on how the additional 3 billion SEK investment in the 2018 health care budget will be spent. The majority of these funds will go to municipalities and county councils for workforce initiatives. Among the initiatives are improving employment conditions for health care personnel through workforce training and professional development opportunities to attract and retain skilled workers and reduce reliance on external agency workers. County councils will also receive funds to provide specialty training for nurses, as well as support for IT solutions that will simplify administrative processes.

Source

http://www.regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2018/01/tre-miljarder-for-okad-specialistkompetens-och-fler-anstallda-i-varden/  (In Swedish)

Country Correspondent: Lars Hemkens

According to official statistics released by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and Swisstransplant, the national foundation for organ transplants, the number of organ donations per million citizens has increased from 12 deceased donors per million in 2012 to 17 in 2017. In 2013, the Swiss government launched a national action plan and public awareness campaign to increase the rate of organ donors to 20 donors per million citizens by the end of 2018.The number of individuals waiting for an organ transplant has been steadily increasing over the past decade, with nearly 1,500 individuals on a waiting list at the end of 2017.

Source

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/transplantation_organ-donations-increasing-but-still-insufficient/43823886

Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald

In recognition of the growing number of Britons experiencing social isolation, United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May has appointed a Minister for Loneliness, Tracy Couch. The role was created following recommendations made by the Commission on Loneliness last year. The government also announced a number of other initiatives, including developing a method of measuring loneliness and building an evidence base for initiatives tackling loneliness. The ministerial appointment has fueled discussion of social isolation among German lawmakers, who praised May for her efforts.

Source

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-commits-to-government-wide-drive-to-tackle-loneliness

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42708507

http://www.dw.com/en/following-uk-german-politicians-urge-for-measures-to-fight-loneliness/a-42217742

Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald

In its 70^th year, the National Health Service (NHS) England has announced ambitious plans to make England the first country in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, and it hopes to do it at least five years earlier than the World Health Organization’s goal of 2030. To achieve this, the NHS is working closely with the pharmaceutical industry to procure new treatments, prioritize the sickest patients, and identify patients living with the disease. England is already innovating in the treatment of hepatitis C, using strategies such as “pay per cure” (the NHS only pays when a patient is cured), creating regional operational delivery networks to facilitate treatment access, and establishing a national hepatitis C patient registry.

Source

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2018/01/hepatitis-c-2/

Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald

Starting in 2018, the United Kingdom’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be responsible for inspecting care quality and safety for all health care organizations in England. The CQC already monitors hospital care, social care, and general practitioners. Now, some 800 additional providers, including independent doctors who deliver primary care online, will be expected to visibly display their inspection ratings on their websites or business premises. In addition, the CQC’s rating scheme is being modernized to ensure that future services such as apps and digital health care will be inspected. The CQC is a public, independent regulatory body that monitors all health and social care services in England.

Source

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-doctors-to-be-rated-by-the-care-quality-commission

Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald

NHS England has launched initiatives to extend the role of pharmacists in health care. A public education campaign, Stay Well Pharmacy, urges people to visit their local pharmacies as a first line of treatment for minor health problems such as stomach aches, sore throats, and common children’s illnesses. This could help avoid 18 million primary care appointments and more than 2 million emergency department visits for self-treatable conditions that cost GBP £850 million each year. In parallel, NHS England is increasing the number of clinical pharmacists in primary care teams to cover more than 40 percent of practices and nearly two-thirds of the population. This will allow doctors and nurses to focus on patients with more complex needs.

Source

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43002740

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/primary-care/pharmacy/stay-well-campaign/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2018/01/more-clinical-pharmacists-set-to-boost-gp-services-for-patients-and-practices/

Country Correspondent: Molly Fitzgerald

Since the launch of the new Cancer Drugs Fund in July 2016, more than 15,000 patients in England have gained access to 52 new cancer therapies for treating 81 types of cancer. What’s more, a third of these patients received treatments approximately four months sooner than they previously would have. Under the system, new drugs are evaluated faster for effectiveness and safety by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NHS England now also has more direct involvement with the pharmaceutical industry, putting them in a better position to negotiate drug prices based on clinical value. For example, the NHS has already secured discounts on eight cancer treatments that are expected to generate roughly £140 million in savings over five years.

Source

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2018/01/new-cancer-drugs-fund-benefiting-thousands-of-patients-and-releasing-140million-for-the-nhs/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/cdf/

Co-editors: Aisha Gomez, Roosa Tikkanen, and Molly Fitzgerald

Country Correspondents: Paul Dourgnon (France), Isabelle Scholl (Germany), Marthe Haverkamp (Netherlands), Birgitte Graverholt (Norway), Lars Hemkens (Switzerland), Aisha Gomez (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom), Roosa Tikkanen (Europe, Sweden), and Molly Fitzgerald (United Kingdom)