Austria e-Health Strategy New Opportunities for U.S. Exporters
On July 10, 2024, Austria’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health announced additional annual funding of $55 million through 2030 to support the implementation of key eHealth initiatives.
The strategy aims to improve patient services, create real time administrative records, and enable access to anonymized data for R&D. The existing electronic patient record system (ELGA) will be upgraded and extended to include high priority functionalities including:
- Access to patient diagnostic imaging records
- Access to patient laboratory records
- Access to health literacy programs
- Online appointment-making
- Disease management apps
- A telemedicine platform
- Advanced hospital capacity tracking
Austria’s statutory health insurance program covers 99% of the population, with over 77% of that spending carried by public entities. The aging population with its accompanying prevalence of chronic disease have created a notable strain on the system, resulting in nursing and support staff shortages as well as difficulty filling national health system contracted GPs, OBGYNs, and pediatricians. With the eHealth Strategy, decision-makers hope to relieve some of the pressure on the healthcare system with proven cost-effective digital solutions.
In 2023, Austria’s overall healthcare spending was $60.2 billion, around 11.5% of GDP. Revenue in the digital health subsector is estimated to be around $600 million in 2024. The newly announced eHealth strategy is expected to boost annual growth rates into double digits for the coming five years.
The greatest challenge facing digital health in Austria is a deep-seated popular fear of unauthorized access to private data. This concern extends to all major cloud storage solutions. It remains to be seen if the new eHealth strategy might soften that stance.
Purchasing decisions within the largely public Austrian healthcare system are made in compliance with public tendering procedures. In most cases, tenders are written with a specific product/service in mind. As a result, it is essential for entities interested in serving the Austrian market to approach clients well before any tender is formulated, either through a local partner or with direct outreach.
For more information about eHealth in Austria and how to position your company for success in this growing market, contact Commercial Specialist for Healthcare Marta Haustein at marta.haustein@trade.gov.