Expert Panel on Health helps strengthen EU health systems
The newly appointed Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health recently held its first Plenary Meeting in Brussels on 24 January 2017 and will now begin work on three new Opinions. Prof. Jan De Maeseneer, chair of the Expert Panel and Head of Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care at Ghent University, explains the Panel's role, work and impact.
What is the Expert Panel's purpose?
EU citizens need health systems that are effective, accessible and resilient, and the European Commission needs expert advice in order to help Member States to develop, maintain or improve their health systems. In 2012, the Commission set up an independent Expert Panel to provide it with precisely that advice.
What fields of interest is the Expert Panel involved in?
The Expert Panel is involved in the areas of health planning and budget prioritisation; health services research; hospital and healthcare management; healthcare provision and health education and promotion.
How are members selected?
The selection process starts with an open call for expression of interest and a rigorous selection process ensures that candidates are unbiased and independent. The Panel's work is based on the principles of excellence, independence, a multisectoral approach and transparency: qualities that are reflected in the Panel's members and in the group as a whole. Collectively, the panel must have high-level knowledge in a wide range of areas of expertise, as well as a geographical and gender balance as far as possible.
What is the Expert Panel's relationship with the European Commission?
The European Commission mandates the Panel to give advice on issues linked to its policy priorities and needs. It also provides administrative support to the Panel and monitors compliance with the rules of procedure. Additionally, it helps promote the Panel's activities and sets up dialogues with stakeholders.
How does the Expert Panel produce an Opinion?
Working Groups are set up once a request for an Opinion – a mandate – has been received. Each Working Group is led by a Chair and has a Rapporteur, responsible for assembling information, editing and revising draft Opinions and ensuring they were well structured, coherent and prepared within deadlines. Given the specific nature of the mandates, when additional expertise is needed, the Panel is supported by external experts selected from a database maintained by DG SANTE or via an open call. Following a series of meetings, the Working Groups deliver preliminary Opinions that can subsequently be subject to a public consultation procedure. After revisions, the final Opinion is approved by the Expert Panel's plenary (meeting 4-5 times a year).
Can you give concrete examples of specific impact the Expert Panel's Opinions have had in health systems policy?
The Expert Panel helps the Commission make evidence-based policy on country-specific and cross-country knowledge in the field of health systems by publishing Opinions on various health-related topics. Over the past three years, the Panel produced 10 Opinions, some of which may become reference documents in their subjects. Besides generating a useful debate, they have also added to the knowledge base on which health policy is being devised.
More generally, some of Panel's Opinions have also been cited in peer-reviewed journals (e.g. The Lancet and The Lancet Oncology, Health Policy, The European Journal of Public Health, European Journal of Health Economics, etc) and other media, as well as presented in conferences, helping to raise public awareness about an EU agenda on health systems, ultimately helping support the pursuit of sustainable health systems in Europe.
News
|
Renewed Expert Panel holds first Plenary Meeting in Brussels on 24 January 2017 The Panel will now start working on three new Opinions covering Innovative payment models for high-cost innovative medicines, Benchmarking access to healthcare in the EU, and Tools and methodologies for assessing the performance of primary care. |
|
Expert Panel on Health – new chair elected Professor Jan De Maeseneer, Head of Department Family Medicine and Primary Health Care at Ghent University, was unanimously elected the Chair of the Expert Panel for the next 18 months on 24 January 2017. |
|
Members of renewed Expert Panel on Health appointed The new panel of 14 members will serve a three-year term, ending in May 2019. The new members were selected following a call for expression of interest and a Commission selection process and collectively cover a wide range of disciplines including human medicine, public health and economics. |
|
Expert Panel - 10 Opinions and one Memorandum published to date Some of the recent Opinions include "Typology of health policy reforms and framework for evaluating reform effects", "Access to health services in the European Union" and "Best practices and potential pitfalls in public health sector commissioning from private providers". All of the Opinions are available online. |
|
This Opinion by the Expert Panel has helped shape policy since it was published in 2014. The Opinion states that strong primary care systems contribute to equity and improved health outcomes but emphasises that primary care needs to continuously evolve if it is to respond to changing challenges in society. |
Opinion in the Spotlight
|
Opinion on "Criteria to assess performance of health systems" supports national policy makers The Expert Panel Opinion on "Criteria to assess performance of health systems", helped steer the work of the expert group on HSPA and therefore to identify effective tools and methodologies to support national policy makers in assessing and improving the performance of their health systems. |
Activities at EU level
|
Expert Panel on Effective Ways of Investing in Health European Commission – Health and Food Safety |