European eHealth Week 2011: Registration Opens; Strong Support From Leading Hospitals and Associations

Key Stakeholders Make Decisive Leap Towards Europe's Largest eHealth Event (Budapest, Hungary, 10-12 May, 2011)

BRUSSELS and BUDAPEST, Hungary, January 13, 2011 - Registration is now open for the eHealth event of the year, eHealth Week
2011, which takes place in Budapest, Hungary on 10-12 May, 2011
(www.ehealthweek.org). The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the
European Union, the European Commission and HIMSS Europe invite eHealth
stakeholders from Europe and beyond to what has become the most important
gathering of eHealth experts in Europe.

The event attracts Government decision makers, Industry Leaders and
Europe's most influential CIOs from hospitals and healthcare organisations:
"Healthcare is an increasingly global endeavour. For an international
hospital provider like us, eHealth Week 2011 is an ideal opportunity to keep
in touch with the most recent developments," says Uwe Poettgen, Chief
Information Officer at Germany's Asklepios Hospital Group, and a key figure
in the innovative Asklepios Future Hospital Program. In a keynote, Poettgen
will be speaking about investing in the healthcare systems of the future.

Another confirmed keynote is Eric Lepage, EPR Director at the Assistance
Publique - Hopitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and Professor for Data Processing, Bio
Statistics and IT at the University of Paris.

He is engaged both in implementing electronic patient records and in
healthcare IT research: "An EPR works best in a standardised healthcare IT
environment. This is why international exchange and cooperation is so
important. The same is true for healthcare IT research, which is increasingly
performed by cross border research networks."

eHealth Week 2011 focuses on 'eHealth in an Age of Austerity: Achieving
Maximum Benefit'. Healthcare is facing substantial challenges, including
demographic changes and reduced resources. "People are living for longer and
they should be able to do so as actively and independently as possible,"
explains Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner
for the Digital Agenda, co-leading with John Dalli-Commissioner for Health
and Consumer Policy - the European Innovation Partnership on Active and
Healthy Ageing. Intelligent eHealth services are indispensible for reaching
this goal: "Solutions such as fall-detection and prevention devices,
easy-to-use social interaction services to overcome loneliness, and smart use
of ICT in the home all facilitate active and independent ageing. We need
input from stakeholders to make sure the pilot Innovation Partnership can
help to make these ideas a reality for Europe's senior citizens."

eHealth Week 2011 is a collaboration between the European Commission's
High Level Ministerial Conference and the World of Health IT Conference &
Exhibition. The Hungarian government, which is holding the rotating
presidency of the European Council, is hosting the event. . "The role of
eHealth is essential in modernising healthcare, it can contribute to a more
effective, efficient and sustainable healthcare system. IT can support
evidence based health policy decision making and can play a key role in
responding to today's healthcare challenges such as workforce shortages and
increasing demands related to ageing population," says Dr. Miklos Szocska,
Hungarian Minister of State for Health.

Jeremy Bonfini, Executive Vice President for HIMSS Global said: "eHealth
Week in Budapest will show European healthcare professionals and industry
stakeholders how healthcare services can be extended from the hospital to the
home and efficiently provide the quality of healthcare that is demanded by an
increasingly ageing population."

eHealth week 2011 will also welcome many new partners such as IMI
(Innovative Medicines Initiative) - the largest private-public partnership in
life sciences - which will hold its second Stakeholders' Forum meeting for
all eHealth week participants. Other partners include Netc@rds and the
European MHealth Alliance (EuMHA).

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                   European Commission

    Christina Roosen               Corinne Wenner
    croosen@himss.org              corinne.wenner@ec.europa.eu
    T: +32-2-793-7633              T: +32-2-296-4194

    IT communication (agency)      so2say communications (agency)

    jmiglesias@itcomunicacion.com  armin.scheuer@so2say.com
    T: +34-93-362-10-34            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