"I like the slogan: Just do it!" was the first thing that Ilias Iakovidis said at his keynote speech at eHealth week 2010 in Barcelona on EU-US eHealth cooperation. "If the US and the EU collaborate on eHealth matters, then the whole world will follow."
Ilias Iakovidis is one of the key initiators in putting eHealth as a priority topic on the European Commission's agenda. For the past eight years, the ICT for Health Unit in the European Commission has been one of the champions in organizing EU Ministerial High Level Conferences on eHealth, which this year is held alongside the World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition (WoHIT). This year, he proudly confirmed that this event was now officially the largest eHealth conference in Europe.
One of the Commission's top priorities is creating interoperability of healthcare systems between the 27 EU Member States. Ilias Iakovidis pointed out that interoperability not only leads to better quality, but also to much safer healthcare systems. "The European Commission is here to help create a platform where Member States and all stakeholders can cooperate."
Another speaker in the session was Charles Friedman, Deputy National Coordinator, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, US. He spoke about how the Obama administration are now investing heavily in eHealth and how the US can look at Europe for success stories in this field.
It was clear that all actors on the stage want to achieve one simple goal: much better healthcare for all, not only in the EU and the US, but on a global level.
For further information and registration, please visit:
http://www.worldofhealthit.org
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About World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition
The World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition is the leading forum for the advancement of Health IT in Europe. Addressing the needs of key stakeholders in the European eHealth Community, The World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition offers professional development sessions, vendor exhibitions, best practice exchanges, networking sessions, and debates and discussions on the issues that will shape the future of eHealth. The WoHIT Organising Committee comprises the EC (European Commission), HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), EUROREC (European Institute for Health Records), COCIR (European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry), EHTEL (European Health Telematics Association) and EFMI (European Federation for Medical Informatics). Since its inception in 2006, WoHIT has welcomed more than 5,000 attendees and 180 exhibitors from more than 60 countries throughout Europe and Worldwide.
About the High Level eHealth Conference 2010
Co-organised by the forthcoming Spanish Presidency of the European Union and by the European Commission, with the cooperation of the Government of Catalonia and the Foundation TicSalut, the High Level eHealth Conference 2010 is a ministerial event, representing since 2003 an important annual milestone in the field of ICT for healthcare. The conference theme of this 8th edition - "eHealth for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery: global challenges through local actions" - acknowledges the pressing perspective of a rapidly ageing European society, where the progressively extended life expectancy and the consequent increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases are globally posing serious challenges to the sustainability of national health systems. The conference will present how and why eHealth can make the difference in facing such a global challenge. Visit www.ehealthweek2010.org for more information.