LABORATORY TESTS AND DIAGNOSTIC IMAGES TO BE EXCHANGED WITH HOSPITALS IN EUROPE - WHAT'S CHANGING IN CROSS-BORDER eHEALTH SERVICES - Filenews 19/10
Laboratory results, diagnostic images, medical reports and hospital discharges will be able to be exchanged electronically between Cyprus and other European countries, as part of the expansion of cross-border e-health services.
This is the next step in the interconnection of health systems, which will allow the transmission of more and more specialised medical information, facilitating the care of patients who need treatment outside their home country.
Cyprus has secured the necessary European approval to proceed to the next stage of testing, following the successful completion of the previous tests. The new service, however, is not yet fully operational.
From prescriptions to diagnostic tests
The most important change concerns the type of medical information that can be exchanged through the European MyHealth@EU network.
In addition to the patient's summary health history and e-prescription services, the planning is now extended to more detailed clinical documents.
These include laboratory test results, medical images, reports prepared during hospitalization, as well as discharges containing information on treatment and aftercare.
This development is of practical importance, especially for patients who undergo examinations or treatments in Cyprus and then need medical supervision in another European country.
Similarly, the care of patients from other participating countries visiting Cyprus will be facilitated.
The aim is for healthcare professionals to have access to more complete data on the patient's condition, when this is necessary for the provision of care and the conditions for data exchange are met.
What does the extension include?
According to the eHealth Authority, the new phase concerns four main categories of information.The first is laboratory tests, with the possibility of electronic exchange of their results.
The second concerns medical images, which are an important part of diagnostic investigation and patient monitoring.
The third category includes medical reports, while the fourth includes hospital reports and discharges.
With the addition of these documents, the exchange of information will be able to cover a larger part of a patient's clinical course, in addition to the basic data included in their summary history.
The extension was approved on 13 October 2026, when the competent Member States' Expert Group on eHealth unanimously gave the green light to Cyprus to continue the process.
This was preceded by operational tests in July 2026, which were successfully completed, and a compliance check in August.
The compliance audit was completed without any comments, allowing the National Contact Point for eHealth to move on to the next phase.
The approval concerns the further testing of the new services and does not mean that all the possibilities for exchanging documents are already available to citizens.
Cyprus has been participating in the European MyHealth@EU network since May 2025, with the exchange of basic health information and e-prescription services being the initial stage of cross-border cooperation.
The addition of laboratory results, medical images and reports is a continuation of this effort, which is also linked to the wider planning for the European Health Data Space.
At the moment, no specific date has been announced for the activation of the new services, nor has it been specified with which countries it will initially be possible to exchange all categories of documents.
The next stage concerns the completion of the necessary trials, so that the electronic transmission of clinical data can be used in practice.
