COCIR AIMs to tackle chronic disease
- 25 October 2010
Two of the major organisations representing healthcare IT and the medical insurance industry in Europe have stressed the imporance of technology to addressing the needs of the continent’s aging population.
COCIR, the European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry, and AIM, the International Association of Mutual benefit societies, are to identify and promote IT solutions to support European healthcare systems.
The move was announced during a joint presentation at the Belgian Presidency Ministerial Conference, ‘Innovative approaches for chronic illnesses in public health and healthcare systems’.
AIM is best known for representing health insurance and social protection bodies across 28 countries, while COCIR communicates with EU policymakers on economic, regulatory and technical issues related to healthcare.
At the conference, Jan van Emelen, chairman of AIM’s disease management group, said that prevention, early detection, combined with the adoption of electronic health records, telemedicine and boosting patient empowerment are key to improving the management of chronic diseases and the quality of life of citizens with them.
He added that at European level, sharing best practice and developing disease-specific protocols and guidelines is also crucial as well as the importance of integration of medical technology and healthcare IT in integrated care.
Nicole Denjoy, COCIR’s secretary general added: “The partnership between COCIR and AIM is about bringing fresh thinking to the debate so that healthcare systems can adopt the right technologies and prevention strategies for the cost-efficient management of chronic diseases.
“Both organisations very much welcome the Belgian Presidency’s leadership in this area and look forward to playing our part in implementing the conclusions and recommendations arising from the conference.”
Links: COCIR
