CA15222 - European Network for cost containment and improved quality of health care (COSTCares)

This COST Action aims to support the scientific research and technology development necessary for a breakthrough in the field of cost-containment in healthcare while also maintaining the quality of health care. So far, the EU R&D agenda has under examined this aspect while in nearly every COST Member Country emerging costs for healthcare are becoming a major societal problem (EU wide EUR1,400 billion/year).

While the rising trend in costs is continuous and significant, the chances for efficiency gains and costs reductions are large (> 35%). However, previous attempts to reduce costs within existing healthcare systems have shown that simply making these systems more effective and efficient does not lead to the necessary cost reduction that will keep healthcare sustainable and affordable for all European citizens. Instead, innovative care models need to be developed that factor in cost containment from the start, while also maintaining the quality of care.

The EU-commission recognized the gap in their R&D agenda and supported the development of a EU R&D Strategy and Roadmap. This development involved key players from all over Europe representing the fragmented healthcare sector and the many scientific disciplines involved in R&D and technology development in this field. This COST Action sets out to expand and utilize this network in order to attune the ongoing R&D and technology development efforts towards the development of integrated care models that can be tested in large scale settings with the support of all stakeholders involved to create the needed breakthrough.