COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND EHEALTH. TRENDS AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

The paper aims to identify key aspects of the essence of eHealth (digital hospitals, clinical information systems, computerized medical records, telemedicine) as a priority European policy and how it is reflected in the national legislation of Bulgaria. In this sense, the aim of the study is first to highlight the typical European trends in the development of eHealth through continuous and well-established processes of application of digital technology to healthcare and their incorporation into the Community policies as a legal framework, and second to analyze national processes and stages of digitalization of healthcare and the health insurance system in terms of the creation of functioning and adequate eHealth. Based on the analysis performed, the authors have drawn conclusions about trends in and legal effects of the regulatory framework related to the efficiency of healthcare and the effective management of the health insurance systems.