Croatia's healthcare reform brings a significant change for patients using private healthcare services. Soon, it will no longer be necessary to physically carry private test results to family medicine doctors, emergency services, or specialists, as all results will be automatically visible in the patient's medical record through the CEZIH system.
Integration of Private Test Results into the State System
This change represents a significant step toward digitalization of Croatian healthcare. Test results from private healthcare facilities will be included in Croatia's Central Health Information System (CEZIH) and made available to all authorized healthcare professionals. This measure should greatly facilitate treatment and diagnostic procedures.
The reform eliminates the long-standing practice where patients had to physically transfer medical documents between private and public healthcare facilities. This increases healthcare efficiency and reduces the possibility of losing important medical information.
Mandatory Connection of Private Facilities
A key innovation of the reform is the introduction of mandatory connection of private healthcare facilities to the CEZIH system. Facilities that fail to connect to the new system will face penalties, ensuring comprehensive digital integration.
This approach will enable complete transparency of medical data and ensure that all healthcare professionals have access to a patient's complete medical history, regardless of whether they were treated in a private or public facility.
Benefits for Patients and Healthcare Professionals
The new regulation brings numerous benefits for all participants in the healthcare system. Patients will save time and effort previously invested in carrying paper documents, while doctors will have instant access to all relevant medical information.
The system also enables better care coordination between different healthcare facilities and specialists, which can result in faster diagnosis and more effective treatment. Digitalization of medical data also reduces the risk of losing important medical information.