Western Switzerland cantons sign an agreement on digital health
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Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Valais and Vaud are aiming to establish a legal basis for the provision and operation of other digital health services.
The health ministers of the French-speaking cantons are strengthening their collaboration in the area of digital health. They are establishing a common framework for the joint development of new technology-based tools that are useful for patient care.
This agreement is part of the continuity of the electronic patient file, made available by the CARA Association and financed by the five contracting cantons. Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Valais and Vaud are aiming to establish a legal basis for the provision and operation of other digital health services. The goal is to improve the management and coordination of care, they add, underlining the uniqueness in Switzerland of such a collaboration in this field.
Several of the contracting cantons are already working on various services complementary to the electronic patient file. In particular, they are working on a shared medication plan, which is supposed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the treatments administered.
Better coordination
They are also working on the shared care plan, which aims to support interprofessional teams in their management of chronically ill or complex patients. These are the patients that the improvements are primarily aimed at, facilitating the rapid and relevant transmission of information.
In general, these innovations should improve the efficiency, safety and quality of care. The agreement also establishes that these services are free of charge for patients.
The text pays particular attention to data security and data protection in relation to the organizations that process them. According to the cantons, it offers patients the possibility to take ownership of their personal data and thus strengthens their ability to make decisions and take charge of their care.
This project was submitted to an interparliamentary examination commission and was accepted with some amendments. The agreement is expected to come into force at the beginning of 2024, once the parliaments of the contracting cantons have ratified it.
Source: RTS