European eHealth Week 2011 Confirms Participation of Prominent Organizations, Partners, Exhibitors and Country Pavilions

EU-wide Networking and Information Platform Unites Fragmented Industry Behind a Common Goal: Advancing the Application of eHealth in Europe

BRUSSELS and BUDAPEST, Hungary, February 17, 2011 - eHealth Week 2011 (ehealthweek.org/) announced today that some of
the world's most prestigious and influential eHealth organisations and
industry partners will participate in this year's event to exchange views
with EU governments representatives (Budapest, Hungary, 10-12 May, 2011).
Among them, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Germany's Federal
Association for Information Technology (BITKOM), the European MHealth
Alliance, the Continua Health Alliance, Netc@rds and ASIP Sante. Sweden,
Turkey, Denmark and other major countries will showcase their projects on the
exhibition floor in a country pavilion, alongside some of the largest
industry partners such as HP, AGFA, Magyar Telekom / Deutsche Telekom and
INTEL. The "Leaders In Health IT" meeting, organised by HIMSS Analytics
Europe, will gather the elite of European Health with CIOs from AP-HP in
Paris, Vivantes in Berlin, UKE in Hamburg and many more. This will just be
one of the many satellite events orbiting around "Europe's eHealth-event of
the year". eHealth Week 2011 is organised by The Hungarian Presidency of the
Council of the European Union, the European Commission and HIMSS Europe.
Registration is open at www.ehealthweek.org.

Modernisation, responsiveness, effectiveness, efficacy and sustainability
are key aspects of Governments' health policies in these challenging times.
However, they cannot be implemented without the active contribution of
information technology, based on an intensive and innovative co-operation of
all major stakeholders.

The Ministerial eHealth Conference 2011 will attract senior level
government representatives ensuring a dynamic dialogue between health sector
decision makers and relevant professional and industrial partners.

BITKOM, Germany's Federal Association for Information Technology
(www.bitkom.org/en/Default.aspx), is the 'voice' of the country's
powerful information technology, telecommunications, and new media industry
and represents more than 1,350 member companies. Dr Pablo Mentzinis, its Head
of Department, Public Sector, says: "In 2050 nearly 30 percent of EU citizens
will be over 65 years old. eHealth is one of the best ways we can meet this
challenge. BITKOM will discuss the ongoing rollout of Germany's health card
as well as further developments of telemedicine in Germany and Europe."

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) (
www.imi.europa.eu/content/home), the largest private-public
partnership in life sciences in Europe, with a EUR2 billion collaborative
research programme, will hold its second Stakeholders' Forum in Budapest. It
is open to all eHealth Week delegates. Michel Goldman, CEO of IMI, says: "IT
solutions can drive pharmaceutical research and speed up drug development,
testing and time-to-market. But they can also help identify antibacterial
resistance and support vaccination programs - which are very much the focus
of The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union."

The Leaders in Health IT (LHIT) Symposium, hosted by HIMSS Analytics
Europe, is an all-day meeting of Europe's Health-IT elite. The event will
feature three educational sessions, intensive knowledge exchange and
exclusive networking opportunities at the most senior level. The LHIT forum
will run in parallel with the Hungarian Presidency's and the European
Commission's Ministerial eHealth Conference 2011 - and delegates will join
the Ministerial delegates in the evening for the opening reception.

Further partners and satellite events of eHealth Week 2011:

    - The European MHealth Alliance (EuHMA) has linked with the European
    Connected Health Campus, the Continua Health Alliance and associated
    speakers from the US and Europe to present on 'The Economics of
    MHealth'.

    - Netc@rds will celebrate its 10th Anniversary Conference and discuss its
    achievements in providing easier access to cross-border healthcare for
    citizens travelling inside the EU.

    - The Assembly of the European Regions focuses its symposium on the
    deployment of personal e-health solutions through the implementation of
    regional projects dedicated to the chronic pathologies that requires most
    resources in Europe: diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and obstructive
    pulmonary disease.

    - The ARGOS eHealth Pilot Project expands the impact of eHealth Week
    across the Atlantic: it develops and promotes common methods for
    responding to global eHealth challenges in the EU and the US.

    - The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging forum,
    Hungary's ICEG European Centre and Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise
    (IHE) will all host individual symposia.

eHealth Week 2011 is a collocation between the European Commission's High
Level Ministerial Conference and the World of Health IT Conference &
Exhibition and is organised by the European Commission (EC), the Healthcare
Information and Management Systems Society Europe (HIMSS Europe) and the
Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Among the
companies that have already confirmed their participation in its industry
exhibition are AGFA Healthcare, EPIC, Hitachi Data Systems, InterSystems,
Microsoft and Oracle. Find out more at www.ehealthweek.org

For regular updates, please visit the www.ehealthweek.org and
follow us on twitter.com/EU_ehealthweek

About the High Level eHealth Conference 2011:

Visit www.ehealthweek.org for more information.

About World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition:

Visit www.worldofhealthit.org for more information.

    For further information please contact:

    HIMSS Europe
    Christina Roosen
    croosen@himss.org
    T: +32-2-793-7633

    European Commission
    Corinne Wenner
    corinne.wenner@ec.europa.eu
    T: +32-2-296-4194

    IT communication (agency)
    jmiglesias@itcomunicacion.com
    T: +34-93-362-10-34

    so2say communications (agency)
    armin.scheuer@so2say.com
    T: +49-30-2191-3610

HIMSS Europe, Christina Roosen, croosen at himss.org T: +32-2-793-7633, European Commission, Corinne Wenner, corinne.wenner at ec.europa.eu T: +32-2-296-4194, IT communication (agency), jmiglesias at itcomunicacion.com T: +34-93-362-10-34, so2say communications (agency), armin.scheuer at so2say.com T: +49-30-2191-3610