Patients as EU citizens? The implementation and corporatist stakeholders' perceptions of the EU cross-border health care directive in Austria.

After a series of ECJ rulings, Directive 2011/24/EU was finally adopted to regulate access and reimbursement of planned health care in another member state. Several studies have analysed the Directive's implementation and impact on national health care systems around the time of the transposition. The case of Austria is particularly interesting.

Inbound and outbound medical travel in Austria.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: First, it analyzes demand and supply-side factors that influence patient flows to and from Austria. Second, building on the empirical research and existing conceptualizations, the study offers a general extended framework to guide future comparative analysis.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on multiple data sources including a literature review, secondary data, website analysis and semi-structured interviews with patients and health providers.