CNAS prepares cross-border exchange of medical images and lab results

Medical images, laboratory test results and discharge reports of patients in Romania are expected to be exchanged electronically and interoperably with healthcare systems in other European Union countries. The National Health Insurance House (CNAS) has launched a European project dedicated to developing these services, with an implementation deadline of May 31, 2029.

The project, entitled “Romanian Medical images, Laboratory results and Discharge reports” (RO-MI-LR-DR), is coordinated by CNAS and implemented with the support of the Special Telecommunications Service (STS).

Funding is provided through the EU4Health Programme, with the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) acting as the funding authority.

What medical information is expected to be exchanged between countries

The project aims to develop the services required for the cross-border electronic exchange of three major categories of medical information:

• medical images and related information;
• laboratory results;
• discharge reports.

These data are expected to be connected to the European digital health infrastructure, allowing relevant patient information to become available, under the conditions established by law, when a person receives medical care in another Member State.

“Through RO-MI-LR-DR, we are taking a concrete step towards a healthcare system in which relevant medical information can be used safely across national borders,” said CNAS President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Horațiu Remus Moldovan, according to the institution’s statement.

The CNAS President stressed that interoperability should facilitate healthcare professionals’ access to the information needed to provide care and support continuity of treatment when patients move between EU countries.

Services will use Romania’s National Contact Point for eHealth

The new services will be developed through Romania’s National Contact Point for eHealth (NCPeH), an infrastructure that is to be implemented under another project, “Romanian Patient Summary”.

National Contact Points for eHealth act as technical and organisational gateways through which national systems can exchange medical data within the European MyHealth@EU infrastructure.

RO-MI-LR-DR will include the technical preparation of the services, implementation, testing, conformity assessment and the steps required to make them operational.

Therefore, the launch of the project does not mean that Romanian patients’ medical images or laboratory results can already be accessed automatically by doctors in other EU countries. The infrastructure and services must first be developed, tested and validated for cross-border exchange.

MyHealth@EU expands beyond prescriptions and patient summaries

The Romanian project is part of a broader expansion of the European MyHealth@EU infrastructure.

The first services developed at European level focused on the electronic patient summary and electronic prescribing and dispensing of medicines. In the next stage, the infrastructure is being expanded to include laboratory results, medical imaging and discharge reports.

The European Commission states that, under the European Health Data Space (EHDS), cross-border exchange of patient summaries and electronic prescriptions should become operational in all Member States by 2029, while the exchange of medical images, laboratory results and discharge reports should be available by 2031.

A project worth almost one million euros

The total estimated eligible costs of RO-MI-LR-DR amount to €999,935.33.

The maximum funding provided by the European Union is €799,948.24, representing 80% of eligible costs.

For CNAS, eligible costs are estimated at €501,850.33, of which a maximum of €401,480.25 may be covered by European funding.

For STS, eligible costs are estimated at €498,085, with a maximum EU contribution of €398,467.99.

The project is due to be completed in May 2029

RO-MI-LR-DR is scheduled to run until May 31, 2029.

For patients, the project aims to reduce situations in which important medical information must be carried between healthcare systems as paper documents, CDs or copies of investigations when care is provided in another Member State.

For healthcare professionals, interoperable exchange could enable faster access to previously performed investigations and information about earlier hospital admissions, within the limits of access rights and the applicable legal framework.

CNAS states that the project is intended to strengthen Romania’s participation in the European digital health infrastructure and create the technical conditions for secure exchange of medical information between healthcare systems across the European Union.