Are You Ready for the European Health Data Space?

Don’t miss the opportunity to help make data more accessible to healthcare providers, researchers, and government agencies – and grow your business.

Digitising and sharing health data across the continent with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) have garnered headlines for some time. When implemented, the EHDS will allow people to get the same care when they travel that they would receive in their home country. For example, a doctor in Portugal would be able to access the records of a French patient in an emergency and inform the doctor of the patient’s history, chronic conditions the patient may have, allergies and other vital information. Additionally, researchers can use data from the system to better understand diseases and conditions and improve treatments. The principle driving the initiative is that access to data will lead to better patient outcomes.

What is the European Health Data Space?

The EHDS is what insiders call a “health-specific ecosystem.” It consists of rules, regulations, common standards, technological infrastructure, and a governance framework for electronic health data across the European Union. The patient-facing branch of the initiative, MyHealth@EU, is a data exchange between patients and health professionals.

The EHDS began in May 2022 when the European Commission published a legislative proposal to make healthcare records more accessible across Europe. It has already secured significant funding, including €12 billion for Member States and €810 million to build the ecosystem at the EU level.

Protecting Shared Data

Any venture like this is bound to raise concerns about privacy and data security. Proponents of the program, like Emmanuel Bacry, a career academic currently at the Health Data Hub in Paris, explain that patients should not be concerned about the security of their health data because “It’s like encrypted passwords on the internet, but obviously with extremely high levels of encryption.” The European Commission is also assuring citizens that systems will have strict access control so only people who need the data to benefit individual patients and society can see and use it. Additionally, officials have stated that stakeholders in the EHDS will anonymise records so that third parties like researchers, industry and public institutions may only have access to data that does not reveal the individuals’ identities.

More Challenges to Overcome

Standardising data and processes across all EU countries is a Herculean task. To assist healthcare organisations and other stakeholders, the European Commission proposed the Data Act to harmonise rules across Europe to ensure equal access to data. Standardising processes and tools and mandating interoperability will ensure that data becomes available to all who could benefit from it. The Data Act also has provisions for data governance, enabling companies and individuals that generate data to remain in control of it. Another objective outlined in the Data Act is to set up a competitive procurement marketplace for cloud data services.

The Opportunity for Technology Solutions Providers

Technology solutions providers (TSPs) who offer cloud data services should closely watch how the European Health Data Space evolves and advances and be prepared to participate in the marketplace. However, TSPs will likely find additional business opportunities related to the EHDS.

Your clients may need to adapt their network and data security solutions – or implement new solutions – to protect data. Healthcare data is always a prime target for hackers and ransomware groups, and your clients should strengthen their security strategies now and when the EHDS is active.

Your clients who share or use data from the European Health Data Space will also need to meet strict storage, access control, and data privacy regulations. It may be an opportunity to create a Compliance as a Service offering that helps your clients meet each requirement.

When the Commission’s European Health Data Space plans are a reality, health data will be more accessible. Healthcare providers, researchers, government agencies, and other stakeholders will have the information they need to improve healthcare and make informed decisions. TSPs have the opportunity to help reach that goal while growing their businesses.