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20 July 2025 | Country Update
Expansion of the Central Health Information System to the private sector -
25 February 2023 | Country Update
Consultation on the Draft Rulebook on the scope and content of data and the method of managing electronic health records
2.6. Health information systems
Information relevant to the health sector is collected and processed by a number of services and networks. National registries collect data on public health priorities, such as the prevalence or incidence of certain diseases or health problems, providing continuous surveillance. Examples of such registries include the Cancer Registry, the Registry of People with Disabilities, the Registry of Treated Psychoactive Drug Addicts, the Registry of Committed Suicides and the Registry of Psychoses. There are also registries collecting information on health care resources. Based on previously unconnected and unharmonized registries, the National Public Health Information System was developed as a common platform.
Another important source of information is the Central Health Information System, owned by the Ministry of Health and managed by the CHIF. The Central Health Information System is an integrated health information system and centralized ICT infrastructure for standardized exchange of health data and information to support the delivery of primary, secondary and tertiary level health care. It connects all peripheral information systems in primary care physicians’ offices, pharmacies and biochemical laboratories, as well as information systems in hospitals used for centralized scheduling of specialist consultations and diagnostic tests. All participants send real-time data to the central database, which provides regular updates to the National Public Health Information System.
The Ministry of Health has announced the expansion of the Central Health Information System (“CEZIH”) to encompass private healthcare providers. This decision follows growing concerns from patients whose diagnostic results from private facilities were not consistently accepted within the public system.
The Minister of Health emphasized that this initiative aims to improve digital interoperability between the public and private sectors, enabling faster, more accurate and safer clinical decision-making. For patients, this means greater security and assurance that test results from private institutions will be fully recognized within the public system. The Ministry of Health noted that duplicate diagnostic procedures and specialist consultations are still common in the current system. One of the key measures to address this issue is digitalization. By the end of 2025, the private sector is expected to be fully connected to the CEZIH, allowing general practitioners and specialists to view all previous procedures and diagnostics performed for a patient and thus avoiding unnecessary duplication.
The expansion is part of a broader strategy to enhance digital interoperability in the Croatian health system, aiming to create comprehensive, patient-centred electronic health records accessible across both public and private care settings.
References
For more information (in Croatian) see:
https://zdravlje.gov.hr/vijesti/hrstic-cezih-se-siri-na-privatni-sektor/6934
On 22 February 2023, the Ministry of Health opened a public e-Consultation on the Draft Rulebook on the scope and content of data and the method of managing electronic health records (in Croatian “eKarton”).
As part of the informatization of the health system, the electronic health record has been introduced in 25 hospitals in Croatia so far. It is a technological solution that consolidates data for each patient, from details of medical examinations to findings, referrals, discharge letters and issued prescriptions.
For more information (in Croatian) see: