Marcin Kautsch,

Institute of Public Health,

Jagiellonian University Medical

College, Krakow, Poland,

mxkautsc@wp.pl

DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLICLY

FUNDED EHEALTH IN POLAND:

BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Mateusz Lichoń,

Sociology Institute,

Jagiellonian University,

Krakow, Poland,

mateusz.lichon@gmail.com

Natalia Matuszak,

Dane-i-Analizy.pl sp. z o.o.,

Krakow, Poland,

natalia.matuszak@gmail.com

Abstract. eHealth is a fast growing area of health care. Its development is strongly supported by the European Commission (EC). In Poland, eHealth is connected mainly to medical information systems. Little attention is given to its clinical aspects. The paper aims at describing barriers and opportunities of public eHealth development in Poland. It is based on desk search studies and interviews conducted in Poland in the spring of 2015. An attempt to estimate size of the eHealth market was made. In the study 227 eHealth (and related) tenders announced in 2009-2015 (first half of the year) were identified and analysed.

The results show that eHealth is still underdeveloped in Poland, and that it is not effectively supported by central government and the National Health Fund, the public purchaser of health services, which still does not recognize eHealth as a medical procedure. Identified eHealth initiatives can be described as pilot projects.

Received: December, 2015

1st Revision: March, 2016

Accepted: June, 2016

DOI: 10.14254/2071- 789X.2016/9-3/3

JEL Classification: I11, I18, I19, L86

Keywords: barriers, eHealth, opportunities, Poland, telemedicine.