Towards a European card for health professionals

Patrick FortuitH Pro Card working group

CODE meeting - 23 November 2007

Background of the project

The European Directive on professional qualifications

• Directive published at the official journal in Sept. 2005

• Transposition October 2007• Objective: facilitate the recognition of

diplomas • New: temporary provision of services. A

legally established professional can provide services in another MS on a temporary basis more easily.

The European Directive on professional qualifications

“ The introduction, at European level, of professional cards by professional associations or organizations could facilitate the mobility of professionals, in particular by speeding up the exchange of information between the host Member State and the Member State of origin. This professional card should make it possible to monitor the career of professionals who establish themselves in various Member States...” (Whereas 32)

The European Directive on professional qualifications

“…Such cards could contain information, in full respect of data protection provisions, on the professional’s professional qualifications (university or institution attended, qualifications obtained, professional experience), his legal establishment, penalties received relating to his profession and the details of the relevant competent authority” (Whereas 32)

Report on the impact and consequences of the exclusion of health services from the Directive on Services in the Internal Market

“Calls on the Commission to set up a system for collecting data and exchanging information between the various national authorities on health care providers and to set up a European card to provide access to information on the skills of health care professionals and make that information available to patients, as well as to develop a reliable health information system for service providers with an obligation on national authorities to share such information;” (2006/2275-INI Rapporteur Bernadette Vergnaud, adopted in May 2007)

Why do we need a card?

Why do we need a card ?

Facilitate and promote Patients’ safety and coordination of care Protect patients from the small

number of health professionals that put patient safety at risk

Why do we need a card ?

Facilitate and promote the mobility of health professionals in Europe

Why do we need a card ?

Better communication between competent authorities

Less bureaucracy

Other possible applications

Continuing education (and validation of credits)

Access to scientific data basesAccess to medical files (with

patient’s consent)Electronic signature ….

How did we work?

1st step: presentation document

June 2006, following the adoption of the directive 2005/36/CE French competent authorities have worked together on a presentation document in order to present the idea to their European colleagues (CPME, GPUE, CEOM, CODE ...)

2nd step: implementation of a European working group

Representative of 10 EMS (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Slovakia), + PGEU and GIP-CPS join the working group

After 3 meetings (Brussels, Vienna and Paris), the group reaches an agreement on the design of the card for the European side.

The design is officially presented to the European Parliament on 17 October 2007 following the invitation of the two MEPs Bernadette Vergnaud and Evelyne Gebhardt

3rd step: call for proposal of the European Commission (DG Empl)

July 2007: Answer to the call VP/2007/014

Promotion of geographic and job to job mobility for workers in the EU

Step 2: Agreement

Who will use the card?

Every health professional listed in the directive 2005/36/CE and which benefit from automatic recognition : nurses, doctors, dentists, midwifes and pharmacists.

Who will issue the card?

Competent authorities (CA) as listed in the European directive on professional recognition of diplomas.

Definition of a competent authority « Any authority or body empowered by a Member State specifically to issue or receive training diplomas and other documents or information and to receive the applications, and take the decisions, referred to in this Directive »

How will this work?

When there will be a microchipDirect interrogation of the data base

of the competent authority of the country of origin thanks to the smart card

Example of architecture to study

Country Country of of

origin’s origin’s databasedatabase

Host Host country’s country’s databasedatabase

Health professionalHealth professional

H Pro H Pro CardCard

Data collection(on the health

professional situation)Request : does this professional has the right to practice ?

Competent Authority

Competent Authority

Data collection (on the health professional situation)

Potential Potential EmployerEmployer

Bo

rder

Bor

der

AnswerInformation

How will this work?

When there will be a microchipDirect interrogation of the data base

of the competent authority of the country of origin thanks to the smart card

Permanent up-to-date of micro chipNo need for a creation of a new data

base at a European level

Specifications of the card

Credit card’s size2 sides : one national side (specific to

each profession and each country) and one European harmonised side

Specifications of the card – European side

• Harmonised presentation

• Profession• Contact details

of the CA• Hologram• Two languages

Specification of the card – National side (French example)

• Identity of the health professional

• Photo,• Identification

number,• National required

information.• [Optional, when

there will be a microchip] electronic certificates

Next steps

Next steps

Finalising specifications of the European card; Officialise the European card for health professionals:

Presentation to the European Commission, Mention in the directive on Health services,

Consider how to generalise the use of cards : Brochure for health professionals, Brochure for the issuing of cards, Communication to health professionals and competent

authorities, Start working on a study on « a European card of health

professionals » Linked to the answer of the Commission on the call Work on the interoperability and technical issues Study of the architecture

Next steps

Make from the HPro Card working group an official association according to the law and define statutes

Set up an action plan for the HPro Card working group

Resources for the project

Interested?

Next meeting of the working group in Bratislava on 11th December 2007

For more information

Patrick Fortuit

Ordre national des pharmaciens de France

4, avenue Ruysdaël,

75379 Paris cedex 08, France

patrick.fortuit@free.fr

Tel: 0033/1 56 21 34 96