RENEWING HEALTH, REgioNs of Europe WorkINg toGether for HEALTH, is an european project, partialy funded under the ICT Policy Support Programme, by the European Community.
RENEWING HEALTH aims at implementing 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.
It involves a Consortium of 9 of the most advanced European regions in the implementation of health-related ICT services. In those regions the service solutions are already operational at local level for the tele-monitoring and the treatment of chronic patients suffering from diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases.
The services are designed to give patients a central role in the management of their own diseases, fine-tuning the choice and dosage of medications, promoting compliance to treatment, and helping healthcare professionals to detect early signs of worsening in the monitored pathologies. These services will be scaled up, integrated with mainstream Health Information Systems, grouped into a limited number of clusters bringing together services with similar features, trialled and assessed with a rigorous and common assessment methodology, and using a common set of primary indicators.
Although 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 scaling up at national and European levels. Each cluster of pilots will operate as a multi-centre clinical trial measuring the efficiency and the cost effectiveness of the implemented solutions.
The Project is supported by the Health Authorities of the partners and they are fully committed to deploy the telemedicine services in their territory, cooperating in a network that let them an overview not only among partners, but even on other European initiatives with similar objectives.
Total financing: 14.000.000 €
European co-financing: 7.000.000 €
The Consortium is composed of 9 Regional Authorities or regional healthcare providers. They represent most advanced realities at European level in the implementation and integration of ICT-based healthcare services for citizens and healthcare professionals. They will be supported by eHealth Competence Centres which, in most cases, are part of the regional organisation or are closely related to it.
Patients suffering from chronic disease and specialists of these diseases will be represented at local level through their local associations which will be invited to have a close look at the trials. Patients are also represented in the Consortium by their European Associations in an advisory role (User Advisory Board), ensuring that the point of view of the main stakeholders is properly taken into consideration throughout the entire duration of RENEWING HEALTH. Even industry is represented through associations by means of involving, on a voluntary basis, the main international eHealth players, in an Industrial Advisory Board.
The partners of the Consortium:
http://www.renewinghealth.eu
