Luxembourg's digital healthcare app is mainly known for storing electronic patient records, however, it can do much more.
The eSanté Agency has faced significant criticism over the past year due to issues with its electronic patient records. Founded over a decade ago, the Agency's primary objective was to create a comprehensive services platform aimed at simplifying the lives of medical professionals. Both patients and medical professionals would have secure access to, control over, and the ability to share data and other documents through the digitisation of the data on the platform. The Electronic Healthcare Record (DSP) is perhaps the most well-known tool on the app, but it is by no means the only one.
Every individual with health insurance in Luxembourg automatically receives a DSP (Electronic Healthcare Record). Patients have the authority to manage their data, selecting what information to include and who can access it. This not only prevents disorganised document management but also streamlines patient care, as healthcare professionals have immediate access to patients' complete health histories.
Ian Tewes, the Managing Director of the eSanté Agency, explains: "Lab results are automatically integrated into your DSP (Shared Healthcare Record). Additionally, medical imaging is already part of the record, so every time you undergo an X-ray or other imaging procedure, the results, including the scan itself and the doctor's report, are readily available. In other words, there's no need to carry around physical CDs; everything is centralised for your convenience."
Digital documents in the DSP are currently visited about 40,000 times a month. Out of nearly 1 million insured individuals, only 179,000 have activated their accounts, and there are 1,900 healthcare professionals on board. These individuals enjoy additional services, such as access to a new service aimed at digitising vaccination records.
Ian Tewes: “Keeping a record of childhood vaccines is vital. The digital vaccination record is designed to fulfill this need. You no longer have to depend on a piece of paper lost somewhere in your home. Instead, all the essential information is centralised in one convenient location, benefiting both you and healthcare professionals.”
The inclusion of digital medical prescriptions is also in development. This would facilitate the tracking of a patient's current and past medications and provide a repository for all other medical analyses, scans, and various types of treatments.
As Tewes points out: “We are responsible for the development of the platform in which the information will be stored but, of course, pharmacies, laboratories and medical practices will also have to include it into their own software for the whole endeavour to be successful. That means that there is still plenty more to do before the app becomes a comprehensive end-to-end solution.”
First and foremost, the digitisation process needs to be viewed as an opportunity. Digitisation eliminates the need for patients to continuously search for scattered documents, while enabling healthcare professionals to concentrate on their primary responsibilities.
Naturally, a broader European context is something eSanté Agency and its projects take into consideration. Marc Hostert, president of the eSanté Agency, explains: “There are many people that only remain in the country for a year before leaving again. There are also people who use a service in this country and who want to be refunded abroad or vice versa. Our country is quite accessible and so we have embraced European standards as our guiding principles. We can't just make a solution that's exclusive to Luxembourg; it needs to work for the broader European scene.”
Through the extensive range of digital tools provided by eSanté, individuals can, for instance, verify the authorisation status of their medical practitioners or determine the insurance coverage of patients.
The Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD) is prepared to grant the eSanté Agency another opportunity.
Last year, two members who held positions on both the AMMD and the Agency's board expressed their dissatisfaction with the 'eSanté' agency. Alain Schmit, President of the AMMD, conveyed to RTL that the association is willing to offer the Agency a second chance, primarily because of the Agency’s appointment of a new president and director.
“Of course, it is important to remain open to discussions about the future of digitisation, not only with the Agency, but also with the government. Having open discussions lets us think through a practical plan where everyone can have its say.”
As Schmit emphasised, the AMMD’s goal is not to cut ties with the Agency, but to pave the path for cooperation and collaboration.
