European Integration and National Health Care Systems    Since the late 1990s, the European Social Observatory (OSE) investigates issues related to the impact of European integration on national health care systems. We have been involved in many international expert networks and research projects pertaining to health care and collaborate with the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI/RIZIV/INAMI) on these topics.  Our activities include policy oriented research and dissemination, and are aimed in the first place at decision makers and social managers from the health and social protection sector.

 

2010: Health Systems Governance in Europe: the Role of EU Law and Policy   This book, written by the leading experts in their domain, offers a state of the art of the discussion on a number of current and emerging governance issues in EU health care policy, including the regulatory, legal, ‘new governance’ and policy-making dynamics. Published jointly by the OSE and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies this project has been carried out with the financial support of the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI/INAMI/RIZIV) and the Belgian Federal Public Service "Public Health, Food Chain Safety and  Environment".       Health Systems Governance in Europe: the Role of EU Law and Policy Edited by Elias Mossialos, Govin Permanand, Rita Baeten and Tamara Hervey Cambridge University Press, 2010. Presentation of the book. Contents (PDF)

 

2010-2013: Cross-border prescribing of pharmaceuticals    The OSE is partner in the ECAB (Evaluating Care Across Borders) research project, funded by the European Commission under its 7th Framework Programme for Research. This project, which brings together 13 partner institutions from all over Europe aims to examine aspects of safety, quality and continuity of care delivery in EU countries, in order to facilitate patients’ choices about whether to seek health care in another Member State. The OSE is leading one of the strands of this project: a research on the cross-border recognition of medical prescriptions. The objective of the study is to identify national differences in access to pharmaceuticals that could potentially hinder cross-border health care provision. We aim to uncover potential barriers to pharmacists accepting prescriptions from other Member States and propose solutions to overcome such obstacles.   Link (Presentation of ECAB on the 'European projects & networks' page on the OSE website)

 

2009-2010: Health professional mobility: case study on Belgium    The OSE is the Belgian correspondent in the PROMeTHEUS (Health PROfessional Mobility in THe European Union Study) research project. We collected statistics and prepared a detailed case study on health professional mobility from and to Belgium. The latter will soon be published in an edited book. Funded under the European Commission’s 7th Framework Programme for Research, the PROMeTHEUS project investigates the scale, relevance and directions of health professional mobility to, from and within Europe. The project aims also at uncovering the reasons behind professional mobility, its possible implications, and the tools most adequate to respond to it.   Link (Presentation of PROMeTHEUS on the 'European projects & networks' page on the OSE website)

 

Conferences and study days    The OSE has a long experience in organizing high level international conferences as well as national study days on topics related to the impact of European integration on national health care systems, mostly in collaboration with the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI/INAMI/RIZIV).    11 December 2008: Conference "Health Systems Governance in Europe: the Role of EU Law and Policy" The aim of this conference was to stimulate political debate on the topics developed in the book with the same title mentioned above. Link Health ministers from several Member States participated in the discussions, as well as high level experts and stakeholders from the health care sector. Programme and documents 28 September 2007: Symposium "European Integration and Health Care Systems" Programme and documents 16 January 2006: Study Day "The European Union and Health Care" Programme and documents 7-8 December 2001: Belgian Presidency conference "European Integration and National Health Care Systems: a Challenge for Social Policy" The OSE coordinated the scientific preparation and follow-up of this Belgian Presidency conference. This conference was a milestone in the EU policy debates on the impact of EU law on health care systems.  The conference resulted in the publication of two books, See below. Programme and documents

 

Newsletter   The OSE publishes a quarterly electronic newsletter in Dutch and French on recent EU  developments with a potential impact on national health care systems, with links to the relevant documents. Browse the newsletter: FR | BREVES SUR LES SOINS DE SANTE EN EUROPE NL | NIEUWS OVER GEZONDHEIDZORG UIT EUROPA

 

Policy advising    The OSE provides expert advice to the Belgian public authorities and the Belgian National Institute for Health and Invalidity Insurance (NIHDI/INAMI/RIZIV) on EU developments with a potential impact on the Belgian health care system.

 

2004-2007: Cross border patient mobility    The OSE has been partner in the ’Europe for Patients’ project, a policy oriented research project on patient mobility, financed by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme for Research. Visit Europe for Patients website   Patient Mobility in the European Union, Learning from Experience   Download the book (900K) Contracting Cross-Border Care in Belgian Hospitals : An Analysis of Belgian, Dutch and English Stakeholder Perspectives Irene A. GLINOS, Nicole BOFFIN, Rita BAETEN Observatoire social européen, 2005   Read the executive summary  EN | FR | NL (35K)  Read the complete report (700K) Dutch Patients Evaluate Contracted Care in Belgian Hospitals: Results of a Mail Survey Nicole BOFFIN, Rita BAETEN Observatoire social européen, 2005   Read the executive summary  EN | FR | NL (30K)  Read the complete report  (300K) A Literature Review of Cross-Border Patient Mobility in the European Union Irene A. Glinos and Rita Baeten Observatoire social européen, September 2006   Read the document EN (900K)

 

2002: The Impact of EU law on Health Care Systems    The 2001 Belgian Presidency conference mentioned above resulted in the publication of two landmark books:   The Impact of EU Law on Health Care Systems Martin McKee, Elias Mossialos, Rita Baeten (eds.) P.I.E-Peter Lang, 2002, 314 pp.   EU Law and the Social Character of Health Care Elias Mossialos & Martin McKee In collaboration with Beatrix Carl, Willy Palm & Franz Marhold P.I.E-Peter Lang, 2002, 259 pp.

 

Research Team    Rita Baeten  Profile and publications Anna Safuta  Profile and publications