The hospital sector has recently been facing increased competition law scrutiny, in particular in Germany. During the last few years the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has made it clear on a number of occasions that mergers between hospitals (private as well as public-law hospitals) are just as much subject to competition law provisions as any other merger cases.
France - Clinical biology is faced with many internal and external developments, notably advances in medical science, automation, quality assurance, electronic data transmission, and the impact of the European legislation.
From 2000 to 2007, Israeli hospitals have treated the victims of 148 terrorist attacks.
The French Health Authorities announced in February that the smoking ban — which began in February 2007 for communal buildings and work places, and was implemented in January 2008 with effect on bars, restaurants and hotels — has produced striking results.
The TopClinica, an international trade fair and congress focused on medical equipment and solutions is a new event on the calendar.
The prosecution of two doctors and a faith healer has been ordered by the Dutch appeal court, due to their treatment of a patient who died seven years ago.
The USA's National Institutes of Health aims to review blood transfusion safety
In those European countries where citizens are entitled to comprehensive healthcare financing the healthcare systems are becoming increasingly daunting tasks. Whilst in some isolated cases medical progress may indeed lead to certain cost reductions, overall this inflates costs.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) concluded that Czech legislation still doesn't comprise harmonized legislation related to technical aspects of handling the blood and its derivatives.
EH correspondent H-C Pruszinsky reports
The new £2 million remote access stereotaxis catheter laboratory at London's Heart Hospital, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is the first of its kind in the UK and one of only 40 worldwide.
At Telecare 2007 exhibition held in Birmingham, UK, this September, Moira Mackenzie, the Scottish Executive's Telecare Programme Manager spoke of aim of the country's new government (minority Scottish Nationalist party, elected in May 2007) is keen to reform healthcare which it will change through administrative reform.
The European Commission (EC) has postponed the EU Directive that would have affected the use of MRI until 30 April 2012, to allow time for a substantive amendment to be adopted.
The Joint Commission International (JCI) has produced a revised set of international accreditation standards for hospitals. Initiated in 1997, the JCI developed out of a need seen by the international community to have standards of care to assure quality and safety for patients. "When these standards were first devised, organisations around the world were trying to apply the US domestic standards…
The ERSPC is the world's biggest study of screening of prostate cancer. It involves up to 260,000 men, 220,000 of them in the age group 55-75 years old. Professor Chris Bangma, Director of the ERSPC and Chairman of the urology department at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam (headquarters of the ERSPC) explains the study's background and aims
"If you think 53 makes you old enough to retire, then fine, go ahead and retire. But don't expect the state to pay for it." President Nicolas Sarkozy, during his election campaign
The Eastern Lithuania Cardiology Project (ELCP) - an integral inter-institutional regional project sponsored by the Lithuanian Government and the European Structural Funds, which began in 2004 - will end this year. In May, those who voted on the Lithuanian EU Support official website (a specially organised event, focusing on all EU-supported projects in all fields) nominated this project as the…
By Dr J Larsen MD FRCR, Consultant Radiologist at Braunschweig Hospital, Germany
Juggling the NHS accounts?
In Germany, a comprehensive reimbursement system designed around Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) was introduced following the Health Reform Act of 2000. The previous method of payment, wherein the number of treatment days was multiplied by the amount allowed per treatment day, was discarded. The new DRG-based payment system requires the optimization of patient treatment, from admission to…
Under a new law amendment, signed last month by Czech president Vaclav Klaus, patient will be able to see and copy their own medical records without restrictions.
]UK — Leading up to his June departure as Prime Minister, Tony Blair highlighted his government's achievements in the National Health Service (NHS), particularly in the way technology has improved and is set to improve patient care.
Improving patient safety and quality of care is of key importance for European citizens, and both the European Commission and Member States (MS) expect great benefits from new, information and communication technology (ICT)-based healthcare solutions.
To help improve transfusion safety, in accordance with EU Directive 2002/98/EC, the Dutch National Haemovigilance Office, TRIP, receives and analyses reports of transfusion reactions and promotes haemovigilance.
