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Health systems in transition
Portugal
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received in other EU countries. The European Directive establishes the rules
to facilitate access to safe, high quality, efficient and quantitatively adequate
cross-border health care in the EU, ensuring patients’ mobility, in accordance
with the principles established by the European Court of Justice, and promoting
cooperation between Member States regarding health care provision.
Later, a number of decisions were approved in order to define the roles of
each body on the Ministry of Health, regarding cross-border health care:
•
Decision (
Despacho
) No. 11712/2014, of 19 September, established
INFARMED as the national institution responsible by health technology
assessment;
•
Decision No. 11713/2014, of 19 September, established ACSS as the
national contact point;
•
Decision No. 11778/2014, of 22 September, defined the requirements
to the recognition of prescriptions of medical devices issued in another
EU Member State;
•
Decision No. 11779/2014, of 22 September, established SPMS as
responsible for e-Health;
•
Ordinance (
Portaria
) No. 191/2014, of 25 September, defined the range
of health care subject to prior approval.
The HRA has calculated the financial impact of cross-border health care to
Portugal and has estimated a positive balance of around €500 000 (ERS, 2012).
The previous approval mechanism gives each Member State the possibility
of significantly limiting the circulation of patients in the EU, which might
hamper the access of patients to cross-border health care. Hence, the volume
of patients that seek health care abroad and that effectively manage to have
authorization to be treated in other EU Member State should remain low.