The Commission published a report aimed at supporting Member States in addressing low-value care as part of their work on reforming health systems.
The report will be presented on 13 February from 14.00 to 15.00 CET Brussels time at a #EUHPP Live Webinar “Identifying, measuring and reducing low-value care in the context of health system performance assessment”. After a presentation of the key findings, a panel of national experts will provide their reflections on the report.
The report prepared by the European Commission’s Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment (HSPA), supported by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, offers a comprehensive definition of what constitutes low-value care. It introduces a comprehensive framework categorising nine types of low-value care, as well as a list of indicators for identifying low-value care used in multiple countries. This covers prevention, diagnostics, treatment and medication as well as other areas.
Gaps nonetheless remain in areas such as mental health and end-of-life care. The report highlights that methodological obstacles, particularly concerning data access and data quality, still complicate efforts to quantify low-value care. The implementation of strategies to reduce low-value care also vary between Member States.
Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment
In 2014, the European Commission set up an Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment to provide EU countries with a forum to exchange experiences in this field and to support national policymakers by identifying tools and methodologies to develop HSPA. Norway, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are observers and contribute to the work of the Expert Group. Since July 2022, the Expert Group has an extended mandate which also serves as a forum to discuss and promote strategic innovative approaches to strengthening health systems. Value-based healthcare with a focus on low-value care was selected as the priority topic for 2023–2024.
For more information:
- Report: Identifying, measuring and reducing low-value care in the context of health system performance assessment – European Commission.
- Register to the webinar
- Overview: Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment.
Source: European Commission | Public Health | Latest updates (https://shorturl.at/RzO89)