More than 300 information technology engineers from 70 companies are expected for this year's event, an intensive, live five-day 'connectivity marathon' for testing the interoperability and connectivity of health information systems.
At the IHE Connectathon all companies implementing IHE Technical Framework Profile specifications in their products have an exclusive opportunity to test their applications with systems and products from other vendors.
Last year in Pisa, the Connectathon also hosted the 2nd Projectathon of the 23 country European epSOS project where software vendors validated the interoperability of their systems with epSOS specifications. With the start of the 2nd phase of epSOS, IHE-Europe is looking forward to repeat this successful experience in Bern next year.
In parallel with these testing activities, Connectathon 2012 will offer a full program of workshops and meetings bringing together key stakeholders from European health IT projects including a major eHealth day conference on May 24.
"Connectathon is a landmark moment for European eHealth gathering a robust mix of vendors, users and policymakers in a real-time testing environment," according to Peter Kuenecke, IHE-Europe vendor Co-Chair.
Christian Hay, user Co-Chair of IHE Suisse, said that "the decision to bring the Connectathon in Switzerland is a fantastic opportunity for stakeholders to move eHealth activities forward in our country and to continue to make interoperability progress in Europe."
The results of the Connectathon are published on the IHE-Europe website and participating vendors may refer to the IHE Integration Statements to show compliance of their products with IHE Integration Profiles. This is a clear benefit to vendors when responding to Requests for Proposals from users.
About IHE-Europe
IHE-Europe is the European branch of the international IHE organisation. 'Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise' (IHE) is a joint initiative of healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE promotes the coordinated use of established standards such as DICOM, XML and HL7 to address specific clinical needs in support of optimal patient care. Systems developed in accordance with IHE specifications communicate with one another better, are easier to implement, and enable care providers to use information more effectively.