This is MedTech in Community Care

Posted on 07.01.2016

There is strong will to re-invent and re-energize Eucomed’s Community Care Sector Group in 2016.

Now more than ever, community care in Member States should be reshaped to meet the increasing demands on healthcare systems. Health needs are changing and so should health services. New multidisciplinary treatments and better clinical practice, together with new drugs and technologies, are changing the way care is delivered. Patients’ needs are changing too, as a result of demographic trends and lifestyle choices. On the financial side, years of large annual increases in funding are history – while increased patient expectations cannot simply be ignored.

It is a reality also that community care products are under market pressure across Europe. Purchasers and decision makers across Europe seem unable to overcome pressures on their budgets. As a result the value of community care products is at risk of becoming commoditised and, ultimately, patients will pay the price.

There is no standard definition for community care as this sector of healthcare can vary from country to country. However we see community care as the treatment/medical device outside of an acute care setting, such as a hospital. Community care usually includes: primary care, out-patient clinics, homecare, institutionalized homecare, rehabilitation/recovery centres, ambulatory care or out-patients facilities. Our definition is presented in our document which you can find here: “This is MedTech in Community Care”.

If you are member of Eucomed and you would like to actively contribute to the 2016 activities of this group, contact Zuzana Pisano for more information.