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Ontario Invests $1 Billion to Support Seniors and Caregivers
Ontario is investing CAD 1 billion over three years to support the Seniors’ Healthy Home Program. Starting in 2019, the program will provide up to CAD 750 per year to eligible households led by seniors 75 and older to support caregivers and help elders…
Ontario Announces Expansion of Free Prescription Drugs to Seniors
Just months after Ontario launched its free prescription drug program for children and adults under 25, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP+) prescription drug plan will be expanded to seniors 65 and ol…
New Five-Year National Cancer Strategy Launched in Norway
In April 2018, Health Minister Bent Høie presented the Norwegian cancer strategy for 2018-22. The strategy focuses on improving quality of life for cancer patients, survivors, and their families; improving coordination between specialist and primary ca…
Safer Use of Chronic Disease Medications Through Medicine Start Program
As part of the government’s budget for 2018, Norwegian parliament (Storting) introduced the Medicine Start program to ensure the safe use of drugs for patients with chronic diseases. The program offers cardiovascular patients consultations with local p…
Personalized Health Budgets to Become Available to 350,000 More NHS Patients
Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary, and Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, have backed a government proposal that would give around 350,000 additional people with mental health conditions and physical disabilities access to personalized heal…
New Mental Health Care Pilots Launched in France
The National Health Insurance Fund is conducting local pilot projects for patients suffering from moderately severe mental health disorders. The program aims to curb the widespread use of antidepressants by allowing free access to psychologists after a…
New NHS General Practitioner Contract to Improve Access to After-Hours Care and Digital Tools
A new general practitioner contract took effect April 1, 2018, with a 3.4 percent increase in investments to improve access to care. This will help complete the national rollout of the Electronic Prescription Service and e-Referral Service, which will …
Annual Drug Review in Switzerland to Save CHF 190 Million Annually
In 2017, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reduced the prices of more than 400 prescription drugs, resulting in savings of approximately CHF 190 million in just 2017 alone. The average price reduction per drug was approximately 18 percen…
Swedish Annual Report on Quality of Elder Care Shows More Elders Taking Multiple Drugs
An annual national report on the quality of care for older adults was released in March 2018, with results on 28 care coordination indicators. It found that the share of elders who receive multiple medications had increased from the previous year. In 2…
Dutch Insurer Launches Quality-Based Payment Contracts for Cardiac Disease
Menzis, one of the largest Dutch health insurers, has started paying hospitals for stents and bypass surgery, based on the quality of the care delivered. Menzis has signed three-year contracts with 10 Dutch hospitals.
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