These two healthcare information technology (IT) organizations will work together on public policy and educational activities in Europe and the Gulf Region.
08 Jan. 2009 (Brussels, Belgium) With complementary missions to improve the delivery of healthcare with the best use of health IT and management systems, the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have agreed to coordinate their efforts on education, public policy and market access in Europe. COCIR, which has been a member of the organising committee of the World of Health IT Conference and Exhibition since its launch in 2006, will also bring its support to HIMSS educational efforts in the Middle East at the first HIMSS Middle East conference to be held in Manama, Bahrain on 5-7 May 2009.
HIMSS and COCIR will work collaboratively on public policy activities towards European bodies. Over the years through its industry members, COCIR has developed core competences on capital investment products in the fields of imaging, electromedical and healthcare IT. As the only European trade association representing the healthcare IT industry in Europe, COCIR is well-recognized as the key European industry stakeholder by the European Commission and other European bodies.
COCIR will support HIMSS’ professional development activities and will:
· Be active in conferences targeting Europe and the Middle East
· Promote HIMSS events to its members and network; and
· Advise HIMSS on educational programmes and professional development mechanisms.
“The collaboration between HIMSS and COCIR offers a unified voice for our shared corporate members in Europe and the opportunity to advance the education of healthcare technology professionals in Europe and the Middle East,” said H. Stephen Lieber, CAE, HIMSS President/CEO. “Both of our organizations share the philosophy of advancing health informatics as a profession, which will continue as we work together by offering coordinated member services and educational programming.”
Nicole Denjoy, COCIR Secretary General added: “eHealth is a key enabler in achieving the sustainability of healthcare systems. The collaboration between COCIR and HIMSS will help both organizations reach out to decision-makers across Europe, allowing them to improve healthcare delivery through the use of healthcare IT solutions”
For more information, contact:
Nicole Denjoy
COCIR Secretary General
Diamant Building - 80 Bd A. Reyers
B-1030 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 706 8961
Myriam DeGreef
Executive Director - HIMSS Europe
Rue de la Loi 67
B-1040 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 793 7638
About
COCIR[1]
The European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1959 with seat in Brussels representing the medical technology industry in Europe (referred to in this MoU as “COCIR”). As the only European trade association representing the healthcare IT industry in Europe, COCIR is well-recognized as the key European industry stakeholder by the European Commission and other European bodies.
About HIMSS
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States and the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 350 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care.
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[1] COCIR Company Members: Agfa HealthCare, Aloka, Carestream Health, Canon Europe, Dräger Medical, Elekta, Fujifilm, GE Healthcare, Hitachi Medical Systems Europe, IBA Ion Beam Applications, IBM, Intel, iSoft, Medison, Philips Healthcare, Healthvision, Siemens Healthcare, Toshiba Medical Systems Europe
COCIR National Associations Members: AGORIA (Belgium), Assobiomedica (Italy), SNITEM (France), ZVEI (Germany), SPECTARIS (Germany), HHT (Netherlands), FENIN (Spain), Swedish MedTech (Sweden), AXREM (UK), FiHTA (Finland), TipGorDer (Turkey)
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For press questions please contact:
Kathryn Sheridan
COCIR Communications Advisor
00 32 (0) 496 116198
press@cocir.org