Building financing pathways for digital health technologies in the WHO European Region

Overview

Digital health technologies (DHTs) can bring a variety of benefits in improving access to quality health services, enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of health systems, and empowering individuals to make informed choices about their health and well-being. Although the evidence and implementation experience supporting DHTs have expanded considerably, many Member States in the WHO European Region still encounter significant fiscal challenges that limit their adoption of DHTs. These include a lack of policies to guide the design of DHT financing mechanisms that determine how coverage decisions are made and payment arrangements are effected. This policy brief analyses digital health financing through two interrelated functions: coverage policy and payment arrangements. It examines options for the national financing of DHTs and summarizes recent findings about how countries are approaching the question of payment for DHT use. It also highlights the underlying need to align DHT classification and for evidence standards to facilitate the effective assessment of their value in disease prevention and care delivery. Evidence is presented based on recent findings from scoping reviews and policy analyses of recent peer-reviewed academic literature on the financing pathways of countries in the Region.