The kick-off meeting of the 'RENEWING HEALTH' project on the large-scale testing of innovative telemedicine services, took place in Venice, Italy, on 8-9 February 2010.
Beginning of the European program “Renewing Health” in Venice 8-9/2/2010 of consortium of 9 national health system of EU for the determination of the organization of the chronic diseases telemedicine services by the European model with institutions of concretisation of Greece : the 5th Sanitary Region of Thessaly and Central Greece, in collaboration with the Digital Community of 11 Municipalities of Central Greece and the Municipality of Trikala after the approval of Health Ministry and Social Solidarity.
The objective of 'RENEWING HEALTH' (REgioNs of Europe WorkINg toGether for HEALTH) is to implement large-scale real-life test beds for the validation and subsequent evaluation of innovative telemedicine services using a patient-centred approach and a common rigorous assessment methodology.
The official beginning of program became in Palazzo Franchetti of Venice, by representative of Secretary of Sanitary Region of Veneto Mr. Giancarlo Ruscit, in attendance of all partners and representatives from all Europe. The project - with a total budget of €14 million - is supported by the Information Communication Technology Policy Support Program (ICT PSP) and is co-funded under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program by the European Union with €7 000 000. It has a 32 month-duration.
The project is of high importance since healthcare and welfare systems face major challenges worldwide. Moreover, there is a growing demand for health and social services due to the increasing aging population and the prevalence of chronic diseases within the EU and in Greece.
In collaboration with other European centers of e-health applications by countries of EU the Digital Community of 11 Municipalities of Central Greece and the Municipality of Trikala, in calloraboration with the 5th Sanitary Region of Thessaly and Central Greece, after the approval of the Health Ministry and Social Solidarity, process the submission of proposal for organisation Pilot Type A, Theme 1 : ICT for health, ageing and inclusion , Objective 1.1: ICT for patient-centred health service, at the invitation by EU ICT - PSP. Through the concretization of the above action will be achieved the establishment of a european organization model of telemedicine chronic disease services.
The project is implemented by a consortium of health authorities from nine EU Member States or Associated Countries (Austria, Denmark, Greece, Germany, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden). The bodies involved in the implementation of the project from the Greek side are the 5th Health District of the Thessaly and Central Greece regions, in cooperation with the Digital Community of eleven municipalities in the Central Greece and the municipality of Trikala, with the approval of the Greek Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The eHealth service solutions for the telemonitoring and treatment of patients who suffer from chronic diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) have been already operated at a local level in the nine participating regions. In the frame of the project, these services will be scaled up, integrated with mainstream Health Information Systems, grouped into a limited number of clusters bringing together services showing similar features, trialed and assessed with a rigorous and common assessment methodology, and using a common set of primary indicators for pilots belonging to a same cluster.
Although the integration of the service solutions at regional level is the highest priority for the project partners, the use of international standards and the progressive convergence towards common interoperable architectures will be equally sought to prepare and facilitate their subsequent scaling up at national and European levels.
Using the experience and the knowledge already acquired on telecare services for the treatment of chronic diseases, the Municipality of Trikala in cooperation with 10 surrounding municipalities of Central Greece, through the Operational Program 'Digital Convergence' of the European Territorial Cooperation Programs - will run until the end of 2010 a network of innovative telecare services. This network is expected to improve significantly the procedures for providing health and social welfare to patients with chronic diseases in the municipalities of Larissa, Ioannina, Volos, Lamia, Kozani, Katerini, Veria, Nea Ionia, Karditsa and Grevena.
This telecare network will use the 'RENEWING HEALTH' project in collaboration with the hospitals of the 5th Health District in Greece. Hundreds of patients from Central Greece will participate in the project and will be monitored for free at home with the use of the telemedicine services.
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