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The Senate adopted an amendment to the act on implementing innovative e-health solutions. It will now be much easier to issue and redeem prescriptions. Patients will be able to buy the drug abroad via the electronic system. This will make life much easier for travelers.
Amendment to the Act – Medicines Abroad
During Friday’s session of the Senate, a draft amendment to the provisions concerning solutions in the healthcare system was adopted without amendments. Now the document is waiting for the president’s signature. In line with the proposed changes electronic prescription will be valid not 30, but 360 days. The patient is to have not only more time to buy the drug, but also much more room for maneuver when it comes to choosing a pharmacy. The introduction of a cross-border e-prescription means that medicines can be easily purchased both in Poland and in other European Union countries.
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Cross-border e-prescriptions – Poland in the third round
As Rzeczpospolita informs, so far the cross-border prescription has only functioned in paper form. Therefore, its verification by a pharmacist in a foreign country was troublesome. Everything indicates that from 2021, technical solutions will allow sending electronic prescriptions from Poland to systems available in other EU countries. The first cross-border e-prescriptions were implemented in Estonia and Finland. Poland will be in the third round of countries introducing international electronic prescriptions.
Other changes after the amendment
The improvements are to significantly affect the functioning of the health service. using Patient Online Account (IKP), you will be able to agree to access your database of unpaid prescriptions in facilities located outside Poland without leaving your home. Filling the prescription will be possible only for full payment – regardless of the reliefs and rights the patient is entitled to in the country.
These are not the only changes that will be made to prescription and reimbursement. There will be new functionalities of the Patient Online Account. Patients will have access to notifications about withdrawn drugs and will be able to register with a doctor using the mObywat application.
The list of free medicines under the 75+ program will also be expanded. Prescriptions can be issued not only by GPs, but also by specialists. Moreover, the functioning of the institutions will be reduced by bureaucracy. The signing of electronic documentation (e-prescriptions and e-referrals) will be entrusted to medical assistants.