IBM, Siemens, Cisco Systems, ICW and SAP presented the innovatory ideas for maniging with technical and financial obstacles ahead of Bulgarian healthcare. Building of electronic infrastructure will help health institutions to improve patient care, to reduce risk of medical mistakes to minimum, to reduce expences and to save confidentiality of patients.

Representatives from Ministry of health, National Health Insurance Fund, Bulgarian Doctors Union, State Agency for Information Technology and Communications and hospitals have discussed with IT experts the posibilities for determine the problems of Bulgarian healthcare on Round table “eHealth – the next step in healthcare reform. The concrete European experience in applying of eHealth”. The Round table was organized from IBM Bulgaria in co-operation with eHealth Foundation Bulgaria.

“The world tendency and our affluent attempt in this area, show that building of “connected” model of health system for electronic healthcare is the single possibility that brings to the general final aim – give up to citizens a better services on optimum price” – was the words of Mr. Hans Erik Henriksen, Health sector, North-East Region, IBM Business Consulting Services.

“This “integrated” model is the once that can using the connectivity between all participants in healthcare system – state institutions, insurance organizations, suppliers of health services, of medical and pharmacy products, and consumers. The exchange of information between main participants in health system will bring better speed, price and quality of gived services. Consumers will be free to choose between suppliers of health services in regulated competitive environment, on the base of publicly accessible information for characterizations of supplier of the service.” add Mr. Hans Erik Henriksen.

The leading European attempt in building of system for eHealth was represented by Mr. Ib Johansen, Vice President, MedCom - Danish Center for Health Telematics – this is company that helps Danish Ministry of healthcare to proposing eHealth. He was categorical that using of electronic documents is better than using of paper documents. He has invite representatives from Bulgaria to visit Denmark and to examine closely with their practice in eHealth. Mr. Johansen indicates several benefits from the building of electronic healthcare system. On first place he outlined that physicians economized time. On second place he outlined that calls in hospitals in Denmark are decreased with 66% and on the third place he outlined economizing of 60 milions of Euro per year from the hospitals. The last benefit – results from tests could be receive any time, in any point of the country and it doesn't depend where they are done. 

Mr. Dietmar Pfäler from InterComponentWare AG, Germany represented the German experience in developing of eHealth. InterComponentWare AG is one of the leading companies, which is building the German eHealth. Mr. Pfäler outlined the priority activities that Bulgaria will follow, because of successuful implementation of eHealth. Mr. Pfäler underlined that for Bulgaria is very important to use the best practicies and already created models of similar systems in other countries like Germany and Denmark.