The European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical, and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR) recently concluded its annual general assembly where new president Joost Leeflang was officially appointed and key issues were discussed.
Dr. Guy Frija, from the European Society of Radiology (ESR), gave a keynote speech on the importance of patient safety, while Dr. Freimut Schröder, chair of COCIR's Environmental Health and Safety Committee, emphasized the need for flexibility in regulations.
Also, Dr. Rudi Van de Velde, former chief information officer at University Hospital Brussels, noted that e-health remains a key enabler in healthcare systems, but the industry is still fragmented and must be dynamic, personalized, understandable, and holistic.
"Why can we check in online when taking a plane, get money out from banks from everywhere in the world, but yet healthcare can't fully benefit from innovations and other modernized tools?" added Nicole Denjoy, COCIR's secretary general. "Trust between the various stakeholders must be established and silos broken to fully benefit from innovative technologies as well as new financial models in healthcare."
COCIR will continue its efforts to articulate the importance of integrated care and workflow, she said. Also, the sixth edition of the COCIR eHealth Toolkit will be launched at the upcoming eHealth Week in Riga, Latvia; it will focus on integrated care and will explain the role of e-health.
