Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. When did the project start?
The project started on 1st July 2008.
To top2. Which countries are involved?
The project team consists of 27 beneficiaries from 12 European Union (EU) countries. These are (in alphabetic order):
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Italy
- The Netherlands
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
epSOS is coordinated by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) from Sweden.
See also the 
list of beneficiaries.
3. Which companies are involved?
See list of beneficiaries/list of companies, which joined the Industry Team.
4. Is the project open to new beneficiaries?
Yes. The current partnership includes European health regions, competence centres, and industrial corporations. Two years of extensive preparation were necessary for this highly manifold subject, which is also reflected by the detailed and complex work plan and budget. Decisions regarding the involvement of new beneficiaries are made by the Project Steering Board and will depend on the phase and progress of the project as well as the added value a new member would contribute. However, interested authorities and competence centres can maintain close contact to the development through the 
CALLIOPE Thematic Network.
If you are interested in further information, please contact the coordinator.
5. Is epSOS the same as S.O.S.?
Yes, they are both the same. The project was proposed to the European Commission under the title "SOS - Smart Open Services". During the phase of negotiations with the European Commission the consortium decided to modify the project name to "epSOS - Smart Open Services for European Patients".
The new name signalizes the start of the project’s actual work, offers a statement regarding the aim of the project as well as the target group which will benefit most from the project outcome: "the European patient". The new acronym introduces the project as unique, dynamic and sustainable.
6. What is the project budget?
The amount allocated towards the project totals EUR 22.000.000,--, of which 50 percent is co-funded by the EU. The beneficiaries agreed to finance a joint coordination structure and activities, thus decreasing the effective EU-funding by approximately 40 percent.
The national authorities (health ministries) of some countries will support the project with non-refunded person months.
7. How do participating countries contribute?
The project partners have a strong commitment to develop solutions and services that will be beneficial to all 27 EU member states as well as other interested countries throughout Europe and worldwide.
Each member state is responsible for at least one work package and will be supported by the others to allow for a successful completion of such a work package. Local ministries, competence centres and numerous industrial partners work as a team to reach competent solutions for European patients.
8. Is epSOS a research project?
No. epSOS is a so-called Information & Communication Technology Policy Support Project (ICT PSP), through which existing technical solutions communicate cross-border and operate reciprocally. This will be tested in pilots, involving hospitals, doctors and pharmacies.
9. How can European citizens benefit?
The main objectives for European citizens are to:
- Support patient mobility throughout Europe
- Ensure that patient safety is guaranteed
- Increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness in cross-border care
- Deliver safe and secure medical treatment nationally and across Europe.
10. What are the expected results of the project?
Recommendations, technical specifications, system descriptions, organisation models, software, software tools, etc. are aimed at improving the interoperability on a multinational level.
In addition, there will be pilot implementations in several regions.
11. What will happen with the results?
The project partners and the CALLIOPE Network will disseminate the results to all European member states as well as non-EU countries. Everyone interested will be able to access the results free of charge.
12. How can Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) utilize the results?
SMEs can utilize the results of epSOS for their existing products as well as for the development of new products. Furthermore, they will gain access to the project results and have the opportunity to utilize what they consider most beneficial to them in view of the competitive world market.
13. May non-participating member states and companies access the results?
Yes, all results will be accessible for non-participating member states and companies.
14. Is epSOS a health card project?
No, epSOS is not a health card project, although health card-based infrastructure and communication systems are integrated into the project. In addition, know-how that has been attained through health card- or similar projects will be included in the results.
15. Will my health record be emailed?
No. One of the basic concepts of the project is to keep the data at the place of its origin or to store it in accordance with the respective national guidelines. In specific cases the data can be made available cross-border, however, only if strict rules regarding identification and rights management are followed.
16. Will my health insurance cover treatment in a foreign country?
Reimbursement of treatment in an EU country other than that of residence underlies differing legal regulations such as bilateral agreements in the area of social security or the oncoming "Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Application of Patients' Rights in Cross-border Healthcare", which is expected to become effective in the near future. (Health Services Directive)
17. Will the protection of individual health data be ensured?
Yes. One of the top-priority rules of the project is to ensure protection of all health care records and to – at all times – comply with EU legislation as well as all national data protection legislation standards.
18. How will the project deal with different languages, terminologies, organisation of health systems and different technical environments?
The project has a strong technical focus, but it will also tackle questions of semantic and legal interoperability. The interoperability of different technical environments, which is not only a question of cross-border communication, will be the main challenge. However, in the testing phase concrete interoperable data will be available, which requires a special focus on content and semantics. The question how a national health system is organised and financed is less important for the project; matters concerning cross-border reimbursement are not part of the project’s task.
19. Will the project foster co-operation of EU-Member States on the health sector?
As all European health systems face the same challenges, closer cross-border cooperation will help to establish a more efficient structure of health services. The number of mobile patients expecting medical treatment in EU member states, other than that of their residence, is increasing. The common use of information technologies will increase the availability and quality of treatment for those patients.
20. Will the project influence competences of the European institutions and member states in the fields of health and social security?
The project is defined as an ICT policy support project; its main purpose is to test the interoperability of existing technical solutions in the participating member states. The results of the project could include recommendations, organisational or technical specifications or software tools. The implementation of the results into national IT-systems or the adoption of cross-border co-operation models will be decided by the EU member states according to the EU treaties.
Nevertheless, the results will presumably influence future policies in the area of health and social security. The implementation of the project results will not be legally binding.