National coordination and clearer rules for smoother introduction of digital tools into Swedish healthcare

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have great difficulties in finding out what is required to get their digital products into public healthcare. Patients seeking help and support have limited insight into what digital tools are available. At the same time, public healthcare is struggling to find new ways to digitalize parts of their offering. This calls for common rules and national coordination to secure a smooth introduction of digital tools into healthcare.

To contribute to necessary change that will lead to cutting edge digitalization of Swedish healthcare, as well as getting the most out of Swedish inventions and new products, we at Uppsala BIO have been an active part in driving this agenda forward.

We were part of initiating a pilot study in 2016, which in 2017 led to the start of Ordnat införande av digitala produkter och tjänster (ordered introduction of digital products and services). This is a collaborative effort led by SKL (Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting/Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions) together with Region Norrbotten, Stockholm Science City and Uppsala BIO. Uppsala BIO is represented in the project team by Erik Olaisson, and by Erik Forsberg in the project steering group.

The aim of the project is to facilitate the implementation and introduction of digital tools into healthcare, thereby contributing to increased growth in SMEs as well as supporting the Vision e-Health 2025.

The first delivery from the project is the report Tydligare spelregler och samordning av krav – Rekommendationer till nytta för patient, vård och företag (clearer rules and coordination of claims with recommendations to the benefit of patients, healthcare and business). It describes the challenges that county councils, regions and businesses are faced with in the process of providing digital tools for patients with prescribed self-care.

The project presents eight proposals on how to better utilize the potential of digital products and services:

• Develop and implement a joint national framework
• Establish coordination and synergies for medical devices and IT
• Adopt the proposal for a national infrastructure to support information management for digital services for prescribed self-care
• Create a library of claims (to clarify and coordinate requirements)
• National coordination of priorities and recommendations for digital services
• Investigate joint procurement on a national level
• Increased ability for digital transformation
• Product summary developed by the industry

The project will continue into 2019 to further develop and anchor some of the proposals presented in the report. We have also proposed that this effort should become an initiative within Vision e-Health 2025, thereby being officially supported ty the Swedish government and SKL (Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting/Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions).

Find the reports and more info through the links below:

Tydligare spelregler och samordning av krav (the report)

Hälsa Hem – för tillgänglig och jämlik vård (the pilot study report) 

Ordnat införande av digitala tjänster och produkter

Vision e-Hälsa 2025 (in Swedish) 

Vision e-Health 2025 (in English)