The annual European testing event for healthcare IT interoperability, known as the IHE Connectathon, will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from April 15 to 19, 2013 at the Halic Congress Centre.
Connectathon 2013 will bring healthcare interoperability to the edge of Europe with the ambition to reach further, attracting new participants from the Middle East, as suggested by this year's theme "Connect where the continents meet."
This intensive five-day ‘connectivity marathon’ will draw together companies implementing specifications developed by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), providing an opportunity to test their applications with systems from other vendors. Last year's IHE-Europe Connectathon in Bern, Switzerland showed a record attendance of 520 participants and 85 companies for 2,800 interoperability tests among 120 medical information systems.
Organised by IHE-Turkey and IHE-Europe, Connectathon 2013 will be jointly sponsored by the Turkish Medical Informatics Association, the Turkish Society of Radiology (TurkRAD), and the Association for Medical Imaging Diagnosis and Treatment Technologies (TıpGörDer).
“As one of the newest, yet most active member of our association, we can count on our colleagues at IHE-Turkey creating a rich and rewarding event for everyone with a stake in the seamless exchange of patient information," said Lapo Bertini, IHE-Europe vendor Co-Chair.
Haluk Celikel, Vendor Co-Chair of IHE-Turkey, said, "Hosting the European Connectathon is both an honor and a tremendous opportunity for advancing interoperability in our country as well as demonstrating its benefits to the world."
IHE-Turkey successfully launched Connectathon 2013 for a national audience on 20th September in Ankara during a “Share the Experience” meeting with the Ministry of Health, vendors and users participating. Turkish companies shared their experiences from earlier IHE-Europe Connectathons and the local Committee presented their plans for Connectathon 2013.
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.
For more information, please visit: www.ihe-europe.net
